Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-03-11
GALENA.
fhe Early Lead Mines I'm the Northw est
Particulars Of First Discoveries.

"a correspondent OF the DodgeYllle
Chronicle writes of the early lead
mines in this section. We copy the
following:
The existence of lead mines, in this
the so called Northwestern Lead
Mining region" was probably known
to the prehistoric people, now de-
nominated Mound Builders for
lead ore has been found interspersed
with pieces of native copper from the
Lake Superior region. pieces of
specular iron ore from Missouri, and
chips of mica from the beds of this
material in North Carolina, in some
of the mounds which have been ex.
amined in Ohio.
In 1888, just about ten years sub
sequent to the discovery of the
Northern Mississippi by the "pious and
gentle Marquette" one Nicholas Per-
rot-the same who acted as TaIon's
agent at the great gathering of the
Indian tribes of the West, in the May
of 1911, at the Falls of St. Mary-was
sent by the authorities of New
France to establish alliances with
the Iowa and Dacota Indians, and
having, most likely, commission to
examine tho tract of country through
which he might have occasion 10
pass, with view to the discovery of
valuable ores, ne was so fortunate as
to find lead ore on both the Fevre-
now Galena-and Des Moines rivers
In 1900, Mr.. 5ueur-the enthusiast
and unfortunate-on journeying up
tie Mississippi, halted on the 25th
day of August, at the mouth of the
dalena river, which be named the
"River of Mines" and with his men
explored the territory Immediately
adjacent and found lead ore at place
which the writer infers from his &C.
count to be that called at the present
time, Island Prairie" A day or two
afterwards he found ore at either the
mouth of Platte or Grant river-posi-
lively which, the writer, who is writ
ing principally from memory and
rather scanty memorandum, knows
not.
In 1866. just after the dismal fail
ure of Pontac's scheme for the reduc-
ton of Detroit, "a failure which toro
ever blasted the ambitious hopes of
the French of establishing an empire
in this section of the New World, and
for time rendered the English un-
disputed masters--one Capt. Jona-
than Carver, an Englishman, profit
ing by the advantage which the Eng
lish had thus gained, set out for
trip to the eastward. On the ninth
of October, in the same year, he
reached an Indian village situated,
according to his account, about fifteen
miles north of what are now called
the "Blue Mounds" In speaking of
the village he says, $50 plentiful is
lead here that | saw large quantities
of it lying about the streets CD of
the town, belonging to the Saukes,
and it seemed to be as good as the |
product of other countries" Al
though we know Of his poor charac-
ter as a truth teller, we are by this
statement led to infer that the In
dams were mining in small way, to
the Southwark, at this early period,
and transporting it to their village for
the purpose of smelling into bullets
for their own immediate use, and,
possibly, running some in bulk for |
the agents of the Northwestern Fur |
Company.
In I796-some have said 1855
Julien Dubuque-a Canadian trader,
and a former resident of Prairie du |
CHEN, commenced work upon some |
old 'leads" which has been formerly |
worked by Indians of the Fox tribe.
Having command of some capital,
and the assistance of Mexican miners,
he did we'll. His markets were at
St. Louis, New Orleans, and trading
posts on Lake Michigan.
According to an old traditional &C.
count, which is probably correct, at
this period mines were being worked
near Galena, Mineral Point and
Dodgeville. The war of 1912 retard-
ed the progress of the mining inter-
ests in this section but with the
peace of 1915, there came better
times.
In 1916, there were twenty
furnaces modelled after the Indian
style in operation near the site of
Galena, which were built and owned
by Frenchmen and Indians.
Soon after, by the closing of the
mines in Missouri, in consequence of
the recognition by the general gov.
ernment of the prior claims of the
Indians to the lands on which the
mines were situated, large number
of miners from there came north and
commenced prospecting on the east
side of the Mississippi-all the mines
in the vicinity of Dubuque having
been closed for the same reason as
afore mentioned. From this time the
lead interest continued to flourish
apace until the climax was reached
IN 1915, after which time it held up
well for the three or four years fol>
lowing, which preceded the Califor-
MIA fever, There was shipped from
the lead region in 1845, rs, 400 pigs |
of lead, averaging 20 lbs. to the pig.
In round numbers the value to the
product of the lead region has been |
near 100000. 1t has been esti,
mated by those competent to judge
that the Linden mines have produced |
one.sixth part of the entire amount,
with untold amounts of lead and zinc |
ores which, known to be in the mines,
are yet to be taken out. And this
brings me to Linden.
In 1923, Patrick OMeara, and -
Keogh, were working diggings, in |
company with one Browning, Ken
tuckian, on the west side of the creek
called "PedIar's Greek" and near the
place where the road leading from
Dodgeville to Galena crossed it. The