jo ]> A vi ESS <;< >I:NTY. 43 



Galena grew to unexampled prosperity and wealth, and for hnndred.s 

 of miles round was the center of commerce and trade for the whole 

 country. Treasures came up out of the ground, flowed into the city, and 

 there remained and built it up. The discovery of the California gold 

 mines swept from the lead mines all that floating part of its population 

 ready for a new excitement, and also much that was of a more perina- 

 nei.c nature. The It-ad mining interest rapidly decreased in importance, 

 until the financial troubles of 1857 drove many back to mining as a mat- 

 ter of necessity. At the present time considerable attention is paid to 

 mining, and it is probably a fact that mining labor generally is better 

 and more uniformly paid now than at any other period in the history of 

 the mines. With all the vast amounts of mineral found, it is also a fact 

 that but a very small proportion of the ground has been proved. 



We cannot arrive at even an approximately accurate amount of the 

 mineral mined in JoDaviess county. According to Mr. WHITXEY, the 

 amount of lead received at Chicago and St. Louis, as per records of the 

 Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade, from 1853 to 1859, including 

 both years, was about 181,000,000 pounds. This was from all sources. 

 Of this amount he thinks about one-sixth was derived from mines in 

 Illinois, almost exclusively in this county. This would give about 30,- 

 .'>( 10 for this county for that period, which period was the least pros- 

 1 "Tons time for mining known to exist for many years. From the de- 

 tailed descriptions given of particular leads and ranges, by the same 

 gentleman, in the first volume of the geological report of Illinois, we 

 find that he gives the produce of certain enumerated mines up to that 

 time at about 64.000,000 pounds. The Apple river diggings are sup- 

 posed to have produced from one-half to one million of pounds. The 

 Elizabeth group of mines are stated, by HENRY GREEX. Esq., an old 

 miner and smelter, to have produced from 60,000,000 to 75,000,000 

 pounds. Mr. GKEEX is probably below the amount actually produced. 

 The Vinegar Hill diggings, being a group of about forty lodes or mines, 

 are >upposed to have produced 100,000,000 pounds. This statement is 

 made upon the authority of Mr. HOUGHTON'S pamphlet upon the Mars- 

 den lead. From the same authority we learn that the maximum pro- 

 duction of the JoDaviess county mines, in 18413, was 56,000,000 pounds. 

 The Council Hill mines are supposed, by D. WILMOT SCOTT, Esq., to 

 have produced 19,000.000 pounds. The Morseville mines are stated to 

 have produced from one-quarter to one-half million pounds. Captain 

 BEEBE stated a few years ago that five furnaces were in operation in 

 the county, smelting annually S.750,000 pounds of pure lead, some of 

 which was obtained outside of the county. The Marsden lead is said to 

 have produced 3,000,000 pounds of mineral. A writer in Harper, for 

 May, I860, states that the amount of lead shipped from the Galena 



