Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1870-03-16
IOWA CORRESPONDENCE.
The Lead Mines of Dubuque.
JEsUP, Feb. 26, 1870.

The Lead Mines Of Dubuque.
JEsUP, Feb. 26, 1870.
EDITOR CHRoNICLE:-Be Du-
| buque last fall i thought would take
a look at the lead mines near, of which
so much is said. "The lead region of
the northwest" includes the corner
counties of Illinois and Wisconsin, on
the east of the Mississippi, and small
tract oppOsite, on the Iowa side of the
river. Here the French ''vOyagers"
who came from Canada, when that
province still belonged 10 France, to
explore the Mississippi, noticed traces
Of lead. Those pioneers of civiliZa-
ton, the French fur traders, attracted
by the lead, early built trading ports
here, some of which have since grown
into such cities as Galena, and Du-
buque. They and their Indian GUS
toners. smelted the surface ore in q
rude way; but not until after the
''old French war" and the Revolu-
tionary war had passed the country,
first into the the hands of the English
and afterwards the Americans, was
much progress made in developing the
mines. The mining at first was con-
fined to the ''fioat mineral" as the
lead ore found embedded in the clay
near the surface is called. But these
surface diggiDgs, like the surface gold
diggings of California, soon "plaYed
out'' and resources had to bc-had 10
the more systematic and expensive
method of sinking shafts into the
rock. The early lead miners, who
were attracted hither from the then
far western states, seldom wintered at
the mines, but ascending the Missis-
sippi to the "IIlinois diggings" in the
spring, mined until late fall, and then
returned down the river. Then going
and coming at the same seasons that
sucker fish appeared and disappeared
from the streams, first gave them the
name of Suckers" and from the
lead miners it came to be applied to
the inhabitants of the State at large,
so that they are now known by the
name of Suckers" as we of Ohio
are by that of Buckeyes"
This is the way they account for the
origin of the name, but be it true or
false, neither Suckers nor "any 9TH
er man" mined with much satisfac-
ton orsecurity as long as Black Hawk
and his troublesome tribe were near.
'fWhen, in the course of human
events, it became necessary to ''clean
them out, - there assembled for that
purpose, at Galena, the present center
Of the Lead Regions, then a little
frontier town, on the borders of the
'fBlack Hawk country" alittle army,
among which were some of the, after
ward, most noted of modern Ameri-
N rl1a n
was Scott, already famous for his Ca
madam campaign, but destined to win
yet brighter laurels in the Mexican
war. Here Albert s. Johnston, the
late rebel General, began as Adjutant,
the career which closed in blood at
Shiloh. Col. Zachary Taylor, and 1t.
Jefferson Davis, commanded forts
near, and were frequently in town.
Some of Galena's older citizens yet re-
member them. BY the way. when
Spain sold to the United States the
country west of the Mississippi, Jeff.
Davis was the first to take possession
of Dubuque. in behalf of the United
States. Major Anderson, of Sumpter
fame, was also in the campaign. At
its close he assisted to muster out of
service the Illinois volunteers
Among them was a tall, lank, high>
private, who answered to the name of
Abraham Lincoln. Then, think you,
o man, as you hammer a sinker for
your fish-line, or pour charge OF shot
into your fowling- piece, that the lead
YOU use is little thing, when Presi-
dents and mighty Generals of the Re-
public have fought for it. Ayi per-
chance marched over the very piece
YOU are so nconsiderately using.
But wander from my text, which
was to have been the lead mines of
Dubuque. Ascending the steep bluff
back of Dubuque, a magnificent land
scape spread itself in all the hazy
glares of Indian Summer below and
before me. Three hundred feet be-
meath lay the city, hemmed in be-
tween the bluff and river. Beyond
the grand old Father of Waters
could be seen for miles of its course
between the high bluffs that seem to
shut il in above and below, which,
with its great width, give it the ap-
pearance of lake rather than river.
Still beyond the stream and the mar
row valley which borders it, rose the
precipitous, brush covered bluffs, and
beyond them at a level with their
SUBMITS extended the prairies of IIli-
nois and Wisconsin, for the boundary
line is directly opposite the city. Oc-
casionaly a train of cars would emerge
from the tunnel, which penetrates the
bluff on the opposite side, and slowly
cross on the bridge that spans the
stream, or would creep along at the
foot of the bluff, on this side, as if
searching for a pass to the upper coun-
try beyond them, which it finds by
turning short to the right, up ravine.
Steamers and f1at-boats were lying at
the levee, or moving about in the
stream, but not in great numbers for
the river is now at its lowest. The
tall bluff south of the city, is pointed
out as the burial place of the old
French trader, Dubuque, who founded
and gave his name to the city. 1t is
said that until his relatives removed
his remains to st. Louis, his old Gus
TONERS, the Indians, made frequent
pilgrimages to his grave, and kept
sacrifices constantly burning there
Deem you, merchants of Trumbull,
that your customers will thus honor
your dust? Echo answers, "I reck-
on not"
Going back on the bluffs q few rods,