1911 Map of Galena

About this map

The Galena River valley and the surrounding lead-mining district are captured here in a period of intense industrial and maritime activity. The riverfront at Galena is the focal point, where the town's dense street grid meets the Galena River upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River. The landscape is dotted with evidence of the region’s mineral wealth, including the Unity Mine near the Wisconsin border and the Royal Princess Mine further south. This network of extraction is supported by a complex rail system featuring the Chicago and North Western Ry and the Chicago Great Western RR. Along the river, several ferries including Gordons Ferry and Bellevue Ferry provide vital links between the Illinois and Iowa shores, while numerous rural schools like Furnace School and Rock College School indicate the distributed nature of the early 20th-century population outside the main settlements of Scales Mound and Bellevue.