Galena,_Washington
Galena, Washington
Ghost town in Washington (state)
Galena is a ghost town in Snohomish County, Washington.[1] Galena is located in the Cascade Mountains, northeast of the town of Index. North of Galena lies Mineral City.
Galena, Washington | |
|---|---|
Crowd with automobile in front of hotel, Galena, 1911. | |
| Coordinates: 47°53′32″N 121°26′36″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Snohomish |
| Elevation | 1,079 ft (329 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| Area code | 360 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1519869[1] |
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Galena lies on a speculated route between the territory of the bəsx̌əx̌əx̌əlč band of the Skykomish people, based in modern-day Index, and the Sauk to the north.[2]
Galena was platted in December 1891 by John N. Scott. By then, Galena was already the location of much mineral interest, and it received mail three days a week and stagecoach service twice a week.[3]
From April 1892 to August 1894, Galena was home to the Inter-Cascade Mountaineer, a weekly mining newspaper.[4]
Voting returns from the Galena and Monte Cristo precincts were at the center of a minor controversy during the contentious 1894 county seat election between Snohomish and Everett.[5]
In 1894, Snohomish County appropriated $500 to improve a wagon road between Index and Galena. The road was also extended beyond Galena, up Silver Creek.[6]
After a 1980 storm, a quarter-mile length of the ridge between Galena and Mineral City collapsed, washing out the road. The route remains impassable by vehicles.[7]
The county road from Index to Galena was completed in 1911.[8] In 2006, severe flooding washed Index-Galena Road out, and access to Galena was limited to a 40-mile detour which closed seasonally.[9]
In November 2023, the Index–Galena Road reopened to traffic. The project cost $29 million, most of which came from the Federal Highway Administration; Snohomish County contributed $6.3 million and the state government contributed $1.2 million.[10]
Galena is within the Silver Creek Mining District. The area immediately local to Galena contains silver-lead ore, with a smaller amount of chalcopyrite, which contains gold.[11]
- Hollenbeck, Jan L.; Moss, Madonna (1987). A Cultural Resource Overview: Prehistory, Ethnography and History: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. United States Forest Service. p. 169. OCLC 892024380. Retrieved December 23, 2023 – via HathiTrust.
- Whitfield, William M. (1926). History of Snohomish County, Washington. Chicago: Pioneer Historical Publishing Company. p. 610. OCLC 8437390. Retrieved December 23, 2023 – via HathiTrust.
- Whitfield (1926), p. 794.
- Whitfield (1926), p. 135.
- Whitfield (1926), pp. 199–200.
- Cameron, David A. (December 22, 2007). "A devastating flood isolates Monte Cristo (Snohomish County) and begins a new era on December 26, 1980". HistoryLink. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- Lindgren, Louise (September 4, 2009). "Index — Thumbnail History". HistoryLink. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- Bryan, Zachariah (June 6, 2021). "Wilderness awaits beyond the washout on Index-Galena Road". The Everett Herald. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- Hansen, Jordan (November 5, 2023). "'The best day in 17 years': Locals revel in Index-Galena Road reopening". The Everett Herald. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- Landes, Henry (1902). Washington Geological Survey Annual Report For 1901, Part I. Olympia: State of Washington. p. 74. Retrieved December 21, 2023 – via Google Books.