I Sure Got My History's Worth Last Weekend-- Part 4: Grant Park and the Cannons

AUGUST 26, SUNDAY

After leaving the U.S. Grant House, I drove the short distance to Grant Park by the river and took a walk around it.  They are noted for their cannons captured in war.

First I took a look at the Napoleon 12-pounder, a cannon used extensively during the Civil War in both Confederate and Union artillery units.  This one was reportedly captured.  Then, i saw the Blakely cannon which was at the attack on Fort Sumter and might have fired the first shot of the battle.

Then they have a large cannon from the Spanish cruiser Viscaya, sunk during the Spanish-American War.

Lastly, there was a Krupps cannon from World War I.

All Of These Were Captured Cannons.  --Cooter

I Sure Got My History's Worth Last Week-- Part 3: Elihu Washburne's House

On Friday, August 24, I noticed a sign out by the Washburne home in Galena saying that it was open Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m..  I've been wanting to visit this place for many years, but it is usually closed.  And, it was 11 a.m..  I stopped.

This is an impressive house and a state historic site.  Home to one of Galena's most influential men, Elihu Washburne.  He was a multi-term U.S. Congressman from Illinois and a great friend of U.S. Grant.  He was largely responsible for Grant getting back into the Army as becoming a brigadier general (one star).

On election night 1868, Grant and others were in this house, which was hooked up to a telegraph, to follow voting results and was there when he found out he was the new president.

Also, two of Elihu's brothers were U.S. representatives from Wisconsin and Minnesota.

An Important Man Few Know Today.  --DaCoot

I Sure Got My History Last Week-- Part 2: The Civil War's U.S. Grant

Of course, being in Galena, which bills itself as "The Town That History Forgot" there is history dating to the lead boom which brought the people and even the Black Hawk War.

But, probably Galena's best-known citizen was one who went by the name U.S. Grant.  He was in town when the Civil War started and thanks to the help of one of the townspeople, got back into the U.S. military as a colonel and then, the rest is well-known history.

On Sunday, August 26, I went to his house where an Illinois Bicentennial event was going on.  The general and I had a discussion about the number of stars on his uniform and what one, two, three and four stars stood for.  An enlisted man was also there talking to folks about how they went about their war business.  Another man was playing a guitar and harmonica and singing songs of the era.

--Cooter

I Sure Got My History Last Week-- Part 1: Our 45th Wedding Anniversary

And, I can never get too much history as you might guess.  The more the better.

Last week, August 22 to August 28, Liz and I went out to the Mississippi River to Galena, Illinois, and Dubuque, Iowa, to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary, and that is some history right there.  We went to Galena or our honeymoon and visited Dubuque back in 1973.

The motel we stayed in, the Palace, an old mom-and-pop motel, no longer stands, but there is still one of those mom-and-pop motels in Galena called Grant Hills Motel and we stayed there for four nights.  A highlight for us was eating dinner at The Log Cabin Steakhouse in Galena which is where we ate the day after we got married.  Other than the prices, that place has not changed a bit since then.

--DaCoot

They Tore Down Elihu's House

From the August 21, 2013, Galena (Il) Gazette "HPC approves demolition of historic home" by Betty Roliardi.

Galena's Historic Preservation Commission on August 15th approved the demolition of an 1840 house on the east side of Galena. If you know anything about Galena, Illinois, "the town that history forgot," you know that was not a decision taken lightly.

And, an fairly important man, Elihu Washburne lived there. I wrote about him in my Civil War blog (Saw the Elephant). He was a friend of both Abraham Lincoln and U.S. Grant and a big reason Grant did well in the Army, at least initially.

Washburne lived in the house in 1840 while waiting for his mansion to be built. County records show that he still owned it in 1843 and sold it in 1847. His mansion still stands at 3rd Street and Decatur (US-20) and is open for tours.

Since then, however, the house at 208 Van Buren Street had fallen upon hard times and it was the belief that it was beyond saving. In short, it had become an eyesore. Its basement was constantly flooded and the house as a result was fairly well rotted.

The new owner of the house says he will try to replicate the original cottage as much as possible.

Always sad to see something old torn down but sometimes that is the only choice. ---DaCoot

Eleven Galenians Enlist in Marines on August 26, 1953-- Part 3: Jim Rosenthal

I did some research on Jim Rosenthal and found out he had died January 5, 2010, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, at age 74. He retired as a lieutenant-colonel after 31 years of service in the Corps.

He was born in Sioux City, Iowa and was a native of Galena.

This from his obituary in the Hi-Desert Star.

--Cooter

Eleven Galenians Enlist in the USMC on August 26, 1953-- Part 2

Joe Greibe says they chose to enlist at the Dubuque, Iowa, post office, because they wanted to do their basic training in San Diego, California. In those days, men who enlisted west of the Mississippi River went there. Those east of the river went to Quantico, Virginia, (I thought that would be Parris Island, SC.)

No doubt these eleven new Marines sure made some enlistment officer's quota for the month. The following day, they went to Des Moines, Iowa, for physicals. All passed except Jim Rosenthal who had a back problem.

A month later, Jim had a second physical, this time in Chicago, and passed. Of interest, Jim Rosenthal was the only one of the group who made a career with the Marines, serving 30 years.

All made it home safely after their service, although some have since died. I wish there had been more to the story of these men, especially if they served together and experiences they had.

Quite a Story.  --Cooter

Eleven Galenians Enlist in USMC on August 26, 1953-- Part 1

From the August 21, 2013, Galena (Ill) Gazette Opinions by P. Carter Newton, publisher.

This was accompanied by a photo of the 11 in civilian clothes, probably taken at the time. I would have liked to see a picture of them in Marine uniforms and one of the ones still alive taken from now.

"For a group of Galena men, some of whom are now deceased, August 26, 1953, 60 years ago, was a significant life-changing event.

That's the day Charles 'Chick' Schleicher, Jim Rosenthal, Wayne Holland, George Kenyon, Guy Crow, John Miller, Don Curley, Don Bohnsack, Joe Greibe, Bob Green and Jim Piquette crossed the Mississippi River and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps."

I would imagine they were all recent high school graduates and friends. The Korean War was still on at the time with the Marines doing a lot of the fighting.

A Few Good Men, No Doubt. --DaCoot

Going Out for a Real Slice of History

The next few days, to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, which is today, we are going out to "The Town That History Forgot." And, that would be Galena, Illinois, near the Mississippi River on the tributary Galena River.

At one time it was even bigger than Chicago and seemed destined to be Illinois' big city until the lead played out. That left the downtown essentially unchanged since the 1840s.

It was just starting to get "rediscovered" by people back on this date in 1973, when Liz and I went to it for our honeymoon after getting married in Dekalb, Illinois, earlier in the day.

We're Going Back. --Cooter

July Mississippi River Trip-- Part 4-- Galena and Grant Hills Motel

July 17th continued.

We did have some reasonable food at the Elizabeth Fair, but that was the high point of it. It was definitely a hard deal to beat the $1.25 for a big slice of pie.

Drove US-20 to Galena and took a walk around US Grant Park on the other side of the Galena River. They have monuments to Grant and soldiers as well as four captured cannons from the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War II.


JOHNNY ROCKER AT THE GRAPE ESCAPE

Unbelievably, we found a parking space right in front of the Grape Escape where we had seen they were going to have entertainment in the afternoon.

Johnny Rocker is in two bands and also performs solo singing a great variety of different songs. Too bad we were the only folks in the place for awhile, but he went ahead and gave us a show anyway. Eventually others came in. He played several songs by Social Outcast which i will have to check out.


GRANT HILLS MOTEL

We went back to the motel and ended up sitting outside from five to 10:30 talking with several other couples, including one from Woodstock, Illinois, about ten miles from us back home. This sitting outside your room and talking with people is one of the things I really like the most when you stay at a Mom and Pop Motel. Try doing that at the newer ones. It just doesn't happen very much, if at all.

What I'd Call a Pretty Good Day. --Cooter

July Mississippi River Trip-- Part 3-- Elizabeth, Illinois

On July 17th, we took a trip on a lot of back roads throughout Jo Davies County in the very northwestern part of Illinois.


BLANDINGS LANDING

We visited Blanding's Landing by the Mississippi River across from Bellevue, Iowa, the only section of privately-owned land between the railroad tracks and the river for miles and miles in that area. The rest is owned by the government, in part for the nearby lock and dam as well as probably for flooding. There used to be the town of Blanding there, but no more.


SMALL TOWN AMERICA AT ITS BEST

We went to a parade in Elizabeth, Illinois, a small town about twelve miles southeast of Galena. With a population of 682, you wouldn't expect much, but you sure would be wrong. Besides a picture-perfect main street, US-20, (which unfortunately has traffic and LOTS of TRUCKS coming through), this is one town aware of its heritage. They have two museums as well as a reconstructed fort from the Black Hawk War.

They were having their 90th annual Community Fair and a parade to go with it. We watched the parade from the air conditioned Jug's Bar and Grill on Main Street. As hot as it was, that cold air sure felt good and the $2 parade specials like rum and Coke slaked our thirst. Being an agricultural community, there were plenty of tractors in the parade.

After visiting the local winery, we came back for the fair, but weren't too happy to have to pay $6 apiece to enter. There wasn't much of interest for us, but we did have a great meal at reasonable prices, capped off with some really great pies at $1.25. How do you beat that in these expensive days.

A Real Fine Town. --Cooter

July Mississippi River Trip-- Part 2

Friday July 16th.

The History of It

Drove through Thompson, Illinois, today on Il-84, a very pretty little town which is about to get some notoriety because the government is thinking about sending the Guantanamo prisoners there.

Clinton and Dubugue, Iowa, are river towns that at one time had lots of maritime trade. The same with Savanna, Illinois (no "H" in it).

At one time, Galena, Illinois, was a larger city than Chicago and bustling with shipping and steam boats. But the lead (called Galena Lead) played out and the river silted in to about a quarter of its original size and depth (because of the denuding of surrounding hillsides as men looked for the lead).

Time essentially then sidestepped Galena, leaving us with a town frozen in time back in the 1830s and 1840s. No urban renewal or altering was done.

Galena languished as such until the 1960s when it was "discovered" and today is a major tourist destination.

Lots of History in Them Thar Hills. --Cooter

Spanish-American War Cannon in Galena,Illinois-- Part 1

Came across an article about cannons in Grant Park, and one of them was a captured "magnificent trophy of war" captured from the Spanish cruiser Vizcaya at the Battle of Santiago Bay during the Spanish-American War.

Less than a year later, after efforts by US Congressman Robert Hitt, a rail car arrived in Galena carrying a 5-ton, 19-foot long cannon. It was dedicated at Galena's annual Grant Birthday Celebration April 27, 1899. It was rededicated in 1999, on the hundredth anniversary.

There are two other captured Confederate cannons from the Civil War in the park as well as a captured World War I German howitzer.

I've never heard of Grant Park despite visiting Galena many times over the years. I'll definitely have to go there he next time I'm in town.

From the Spring-Summer 2009 Galenian.

Galena, Illinois's, a Historical Town

Tuesday, we visited Galena, Illinois, where we went on our honeymoon 36 years ago. It is sometimes called the "Town That History Forgot."

At one time it was bigger than Chicago and the site of a lead boom back in the 1840s, its riverfront crowded with steamships. After the lead boom went bust, time more or less forgot the town and its main street began a long, slow period of decline.

That is, until the late 1960s, when Galenians and others began to realize the architectural heritage they had. Old buildings were bought and converted into antique and upscale souvenirs, restaurants opened, and people began flocking in large numbers to the town, in northwest Illinois, very close to Iowa and Wisconsin.

Today, a walk down Main Street is to walk back into the 1840s.

And, then there is that wonderful terrain out in this part of Illinois, which makes it especially beautiful come fall when the trees change. New England doesn't have anything on us.

The Town that Time Forgot. --Cooter