Galena

The old farmer and the wife of his youth took a R & R retreat to historic Galena this week.  Daughter and Son-in-Law gave us a gift certificate at Christmas to the DeSoto House Hotel in downtown Galena.  It is the oldest operating Hotel in Illinois.  We enjoyed good rest, good food, and learned the history of this unique town.  We took a trolley tour and did a lot of walking to see the old Victorian mansions, houses, and buildings.  We shopped the quaint shops on Main Street, but only bought one book.

  Lead mines and Mississippi River steamboat trade built the city up to a peak population of 14,000 people in the late 1800's.  But the mines played out, steamboat trade decreased, and the river silted in.  Now the town is down to 3500 people and the main industry is tourism.  Galena supplied 9 Generals in the Civil War, the most famous being General U.S. Grant.  And he went on to become the President of the United States.

Galena is proud of its heritage and is a great place to visit. 

The countryside surrounding Galena is "dairy" country.  Very picturesque.

 Flag and cannon in Grant Park.

 The DeSoto Hotel.

 Main Street Galena.

Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.
I Kings 8:56