Lead Mining

East Dubuque Local Area History Project

	by J. K. 3/2/00
	Thousands of years ago the Indians were in this region mining lead. In the 1700’s a Frenchman named Charles Le Sueur entered the Fever River. When he went back to France he told the people about the lead mines. Julien Dubuque and Nicholas Perrot were also Frenchmen who mined in this area.

	The Land Act of 1807 had an important effect on our area. The United States Congress passed this act in 1807 that said land could not be purchased, it could only be leased. The leases were granted for a period of not more than five years, and required a payment of ten percent of all the lead mined. No leases were enforced in Galena until 1822 because the Indians were in this area. In 1822, the first lease was issued to two Kentuckians, Thomas C. Carmeal and James Johnson. Four other people obtained leases in 1822, while nine additional leases were taken out the following year.
Scotch Hearth smelter
	Someone had to be in charge of this, so in August of 1824, Lt. Martin Thomas was appointed United States Superintendent of Lead Mines of the Upper Mississippi. He was able to grant leases to miners, smelters, and farmers. Lt. Thomas made frequent visits to the Fever River from St. Louis and was one of the men that helped in the development and naming of the settlement. In 1825, Lt. Thomas put new rules into effect that only let miners sell their lead production to licensed smelters. Not many complained about Thomas’s rules. Each year the number of leases went up.

	From 1853 to 1859 thirty million pounds of lead were mined. Seven years later forty million pounds of lead were mined in Galena. For 1,000 pounds of lead the prices ranged between 28-75 dollars. This was good money in those days, good enough to attract men from all over, all hoping to make a fortune.

	The lead miners earned fifteen dollars or more a day. That was the most money any laborer made at the time. They had to work really hard because the only machinery that was available to them was the windlass and a bucket. Later, the miners started using carts to carry the lead.

	Supplies were hard to get in the mining areas. The people who mined lead exchanged 1,000 pounds of lead for a barrel of flour. To deliver lead to a smelter it was three cents per pound and four dollars to smelt a ton of lead.

	This area mined about 95% of the world’s lead. Lead was so plentiful in this area that they traded lead for important supplies. Many people traded supplies for lead so they could use it for bullets. When a miner mined 664 pounds of lead they could receive one blanket. It took a lot of time to mine 1,162 pounds of lead and all they got in return was a large brass kettle.

	When lead was first found in this area, it was mined near the surface. Later, it got harder to find lead, so the miners had to start digging deeper shafts in the ground.
Sticking tommy
	Lighting in the first mines was provided by candles. Sticking tommies could be attached to a hat or a wall so the miner’s hands were free. A sticking tommy was a twisted piece of metal that held a candle and had a pointed end. In the 1800’s candles were replaced by sunshine lamps. Sunshine lamps gave off more light and they were shaped like a small coffee pot. Tools in mining were short because mining was done in very small, cramped spaces. Tools included hammers, axes, picks, shovels, and powder spoons.

	They blasted lead out by using gunpowder. One miner held a stake while the other used a hammer. Then, when they had a big hole in the wall they would use a powder spoon to fill the hole with gunpowder. They used straw wheat for a fuse. When they had it packed and tamped, they would yell “FIRE IN THE HOLE!”

	In the 1970’s mining came to an end in this area.

Lead pig	Bibliography History of Jo Daviess County. Carl H. Johnson, Jr. The Building of Galena-An Architectural Legacy. Galena, Illinois: Copyright 1977.