Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-11-11
From tho Ga,ena aazette

FROM inc Ua,ena Gazette.
The following interesting Letter
descriptive of Galens and the Lead
Mines as they appeared to the writer
10 1927, was found among the private
papers left by the late DIR. Fl. I'll
Newhall, and was written by tina
gentleman to his brother, Isaac
Newhall. at that time a resident oil
Lynn, Massachusetts,:
GALESA, FEVER RIVER LEAD MINES,
UPPER MIssIssIPPI-sUPPosED TO
BE IN ILLINOIS,
November goth, 1927.
You ask me ii
write description of Fever River
Lead Mines. This would puzzle me
or any other person on the river. II
is nondescript. 1t is such a place
as no one can conceive of without
seeing it. Strangers hate it, and
residents like it.
The appearance of the country
would convince any one that it must
be healthy, yet the last season it was
more sickly than Havana or New
Orleans. There is no civil law here,
nor has the gospel been yet intro
duced, or to make use of common
phrase here, "neither law nor gospel
can pass the rapids of the Missis-
sippi!" The country is one immense
prairie from the Rack River on the
south, to the Ouiskonsin on the
north, and from the Mississippi on
the west to Lake Michigan on the
east. 1t is billy country and abound
ing in lead ore of that species called
by mineralogists "gnlena," whence is
derived the name of our town
The lead mines of the Upper Mis-
sissippi are under the control of the
Secretary of War Lieut.. Thomas is
Superin tendent. He resides at ST.
Louis and a sub~agent resides here.
Any person wishing to dig gets q
permit OF the agent to do so, by sign
ing certain regulations, the principle
one of which is, chat he will sell his
mineral to no one but regularly IL
censed smelter." He has all the miu-
eral he can raise and sells it at SIT SO
per theu sand pounds delivered at the
furnaces Any person who gets this
permit stakes off two hundred yards
square. This is his lot so long as he
works on it, and no one can inter
fere with his discoveries. Any per-
son who will give bond to the Gov.
eminent for S. 900 can have half &
mile square, on condition he employs
twenty Iaborers and pays the Gov
eminent 10 per cent. of lead made
from mineral raised on his survey, or
sells his mineral to q public smelter.
| The public smelters give bond for
$4,000 to pay the Government one
tenth of all lead manufactured. They
buy mineral of any person who has
permit to dig, manufacture 1t into
lead, pay the Government ohc-tenth
monthly, and are the great men of
the place. The mineral, lead and cas- b
all 90 through their hands The
privilege of working these mines was
first given to Col Johnson, of Ken
lucky, five years ago. He did but
little and sunk money. Not much
lead was made here until last year.
There were then four log buildings in
Galena (1826). Now tlere are one
hundred and fifteen houses and stores
in the place. 1t is the place Of de-
posit for lead, and provisions, etc for
all the mining country. There is no
spot in America, of the same size,
where there is one-fourth of the cap
ital, or where there is SO much bust
ness done. There was manufactured
here in the year ending September
last 5,000,740 pounds of lead
The population consists mainly Of
Americans, Irish and French Chat is
in the diggings) There are but com
paratively few families and but few
ladies. Hence every lady. unmarried,
who lands on th csc shores, is imme
diately married. Little girls four,
teen and even thirteen years old are
often married here. Three young
ladies' who came fellow passengers
with me on the steamboat from st
Louis, in June, and the only ones on
board, are all married months ago.
Ddbuque's mines on the opposite
side of the Mississippi are worked by
the Fox Indians. They, however
merely skim the surface The wind
lass and bucket is not known among
them. Dubnque's mines is delight
full spot, particularly the Fox village
on the banks of the Mississippi. Bu
of all places in the United States
which | have seen, Rock Island, a.
the lower rapids of the Mississippi, il
by far the most beautiful. Fort
Armstrong is on this island.
At the mouth of Fever river is 4
trading house of the American Flu
company. Their trading houses arr
scattered up and down the Missis
sippi, the Des Moines, the st. Peters
etc. Their capital is so large anc
they give slch extensive credits tc
, the Indians that no private establish
, ment can compete with them.
An Indian debt is outlawed BY
) their own custom IN one year. Th
} Fur company credits each lndiaI
: hunter g certain amount-from on
r to five hundred dollars, according t.
: bis industry and skill in hunting an
; trapping. If, when they return i
the spring, they have not furs and pei
, try enough to pay the debt, tn
e trader loses it, But on the good
e sold to the Indians there is a prof
1 OF two or three hundred per cent
: made and a profit on the furs receiv
8 ed in payment.
: Dec. It'll, 1927.
/. P. S. Fever river was closed wit
s ice on the 21st of November, and