Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, with a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The city is named for the mineral galena, which was in the ore that formed the basis for the region's early lead mining economy. Native Americans, primarily Mesquakie, Ho-Chunk, Sauk, and Menominee had mined galena in the area for more than a thousand years before European Americans settled in the area. Owing to these deposits, Galena was the site of the first major mineral rush in the United States. By 1828, the population was estimated at 10,000, rivaling the population of Chicago at the time. Galena developed as the largest steamboat hub on the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri. Galena was the home of Ulysses S. Grant and eight other Civil War generals. Today, the city is a tourist destination known for its history, architecture, and resorts. History Precolonial and colonial history The city is named for galena, the natural form of lead sulfide (PbS) and the most important lead ore. Native Americans mined the ore for use in burial rituals. The Havana Hopewell first traded galena in the area during the Middle Woodland period (c. 1–400 CE). However, the use of galena in the Havana territory is uncertain; very little has been identified in burial mounds. During the Mississippian period (900–1500 CE), galena saw use as body paint. In 1658 French explorers, probably via contact with the Sioux, first noted lead deposits in the Upper Mississippi Valley. A 1703 French map identified the northwestern Illinois area as mines de plumb. Northwestern Illinois was inhabited by the Sac and Fox when the French arrived. In the 1690s, French trappers discovered the area and began mining the lead. However, conflicts with the Sioux prevented large-scale mining until Julien Dubuque's Mines opened across the river in 1788. The French named the settlement as La Pointe, and early American settlers adopted this name as "The Point" after the United States acquired the territory in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Early documentation officially records the name as "Fever River", an early name for the Galena River. This name did not appear to be widely used. George Davenport, a retired colonel in the United States Army, successfully shipped Galena's first