GALENA

city, seat (1827) of Jo Daviess county, northwestern Illinois, U.S. It lies along the Galena River (originally called Fever River), 4 miles (6 km) from the Mississippi River. Originally a frontier outpost known as Fever River Settlement, or The Point, it became an active mining centre and was laid out in 1826 and renamed Galena for the lead sulfide deposits that had been worked in the area since the early 1700s. It prospered as a port for Mississippi River traffic. By the 1860s lead mining and river commerce declined, as did the town. As an example of a well-preserved antebellum Midwestern city, Galena has become a tourist centre, much of it designated an Illinois historic site. Historic buildings include the restored home of Ulysses S. Grant. The Galena/Jo Daviess County History Museum houses lead-mining relics and an American Civil War collection. Inc. 1835. Pop. (1990) 3,647; (1994 est.) 3,810.