Galena, Kansas: The Rise and Fall of a Lead Mining Boomtown
Lead Mines of Galena, Kansas
Galena, Kansas, named after the galena ore that fueled its growth, experienced a century-long mining boom starting in 1877. The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, known as the Katy, was vital for transporting workers and ore, connecting the town to the broader tri-state mining area. After the mines closed in the 1970s, the population dwindled, but the restored Katy depot now serves as the Galena Mining & Historical Museum, preserving the legacy of the hardworking miners who built the region.
Route 66 is more than just neon signs and oversized sculptures; in many cases, it exposes a past that is critical to understanding American history.
- eschulz
I live near Galena, IL, which also part of a tri-state (IL, IA, WI) which itself is part of the Driftless Area. Our mineral and mining boom started in the 1820s and I think was much reduced by the 1860s. Mining was so important in our area that Galena's post office also served as a port of entry for migrant workers from Europe, and Wisconsin's first capital was nearby in the mining town of Belmont. The Mississippi River made the mining boom possible.
- fowkswe
I grew up in Joplin, MO which is part of this mining area. The remnants of that industry have left this region highly polluted. Much of the soil in these towns is contaminated and some places like Picher, OK have been declared superfund sites. Picher is a ghost town now, completely abandoned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picher,_Oklahoma
The tailings from the mining operations are referred to as “chat” and were deposited into massive piles of small rock. We would play in these “chat piles” as a kid. Probably exposing ourselves to heavy amounts of lead and zinc dust.
The mines themselves were sometimes filled with water which became swimming holes.
Joplin has a decent sized population (50k) so much remediation has happend over the decades. Our lawn and many others in town were stripped down several inches and replaced. The chat piles mysteriously disappeared one year and the swimming holes have been filled.
Myself and my father have always complained of having memory issues. It could be genetic but I’m convinced it’s lead poisoning.
- FloayYerBoat
I consulted in IT for ~10 years, and tried to take interesting jobs in interesting industries, after burning out in big healthcare. One of the more interesting gigs I took was working for a lead smelter!
They smelted all their lead from recycled materials, mostly batteries. That is why you get a relatively lot of money back for your used battery. They have ~15 customers and a LINE of more waiting if they could support the capacity.
Was a fun job, loved walking through the plant.