Galena, Kansas - Kansas Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Long Description:
The plaque at the base of the marker reads:

“Will Rogers Highway
Dedicated to
Will Rogers
Humorist – World Traveler – Good Neighbor
This Main Street of America
Highway 66
Was the first road traveled in
A career that lead him straight to
The hearts of his countrymen”



From Wikipedia:

"Although the railroad was built through the territory of Galena in 1871, the town did not start until the discovery of lead there in the spring of 1877. The first post office was established in 1877."

"The city was originally platted by the Galena Mining and Smelting Company and was to be known as Cornwall. The city was actually known as Short Creek when first established because of a nearby creek and was known as Bonanza briefly before taking the present name of Galena in 1877, which is named after the lead ore galena found in the area. The city was part of the tri state mining area and had over 30,000 inhabitants. After the mines closed in the 1970s, population decreased."

"The Jayhawk Ordnance Works northwest of Galena, built during World War II, was a large ordnance plant producing ammonium nitrate. After the war it was privatized by its operator Kenneth Aldred Spencer and at one point was the world's largest producer of ammonium nitrate fertilizer in the world. It would form the basis for the Spencer Chemical Company's fortune which would eventually be funneled into numerous philanthropies throughout Missouri and Kansas. The Spencer family had been in the area because of their ownership of the Pittsburg and Midway Coal Co. mining operation. The plant is still in operation as the Jayhawk Fine Chemicals Corporation."

Source: (visit link)

Marker Name: Galena, Kansas / Founded in 1877 Marker Type: Other (Please identify in marker text) Marker text: Located in the Rout 66 Howard “Papa” Litch Path park in downtown Galena, Kansas. Text: Galena, Kansas 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. What today is known as "Main Street of America" or the "Mother Road", US 66 was established down our main street, Galena, Kansas, in 1926, dedicated as US. 66 Will Rogers Highway Dec 9, 1935. Kansas has 13.2 miles of Route 66 at this point there are 1794 miles west and 606 miles east of America's US Historic Will Rogers Memorial Highway US 66." "America is a land of opportunity and don't ever forget it." Will Rogers Marker Location: Cherokee Name of agency setting marker: Other (Please identify in marker text) Year Marker Placed: Not listed Official Marker Number: Not listed Marker Web Address: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Must log an original UNPHOTOSHOPPED picture of you or your GPSr at the marker. Please tell some background of what you learned or how you found the marker.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/24/2019 wildernessmama visited it 9/22/2016 Lat34North visited it

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