Galena, Kansas
| Galena, Kansas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Downtown Galena (2008)
|
|
 Location within Cherokee County and Kansas |
|
 KDOT map of Cherokee County (legend) |
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| Coordinates: 37°4′28″N 94°38′8″W / 37.07444°N 94.63556°WCoordinates: 37°4′28″N 94°38′8″W / 37.07444°N 94.63556°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Cherokee |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.62 sq mi (11.97 km2) |
| • Land | 4.57 sq mi (11.84 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2) |
| Elevation | 902 ft (275 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,085 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 2,930 |
| • Density | 670/sq mi (260/km2) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 66739 |
| Area code | 620 |
| FIPS code | 20-25100 |
| GNIS ID | 0469360 |
Galena is a city in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,085.
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.
Galena is located at 37°4′28″N 94°38′8″W / 37.07444°N 94.63556°W (37.074459, -94.635549). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.62 square miles (11.97 km2), of which, 4.57 square miles (11.84 km2) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) is water. Galena is the eastern end of the segment of U.S. Route 66 that passes through Kansas.
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