OLDEST-Mining Town in Southeast Kansas, Galena, KS
N 37° 04.491 W 094° 38.350
15S E 354290 N 4104432
This sign, in Howard "Pappy" Litch Park, Main Street of Galena, Kansas, boasts as the "Oldest Mining Town in Southeast Kansas"
Waymark Code: WMBN1W
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 06/04/2011
Views: 3
Another monument, nearby, provides this additional information about Galena: (Not only was Galena the Oldest, it was also the Largest, but it no longer is)
"Founded in 1877
Named for the ore it produced, Galena lead mining was the largest industry in our history, starting in 1873 and continuing until 1973. The mining and smelting required 3 railroads, 65 crushers, 2 smelters and 3 sludge mills to handle the ore produced from as many as 250 mines. The city sprang up with over 160 service and professional businesses. Its population grew to 30,000 people making its history the largest community within Cherokee County."
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Located in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States, the city of Galena was originally platted out by the Galena Mining and Smelting Company who planned to change the name the town Cornwall. The city had originally been known as Short Creek because of a nearby creek, and was also called Bonanza briefly before assuming the name of Galena. The city was an important part of the ore mining in the area and had over 30,000 inhabitants. The mines closed in the 1970s and population decreased to 3,287 at the 2000 census.
The organization called Jayhawk Ordnance Works (now called Jayhawk Fine Chemicals Corporation) that was built during WWII and was located northwest of Galena, was a large ordnance plant producing ammonium nitrate. After WWII the ownership of the enterprise changed and its new operator Kenneth Aldred Spencer (the Spencer Chemical Company's fortune) produced fertilizer at the location and at one point it was the world's largest producer of ammonium nitrate fertilizer in the world.
Type of documentation of superlative status: Sign placed by chamber of commerce
Location of coordinates: in front of the sign
Web Site: [Web Link]
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