The Galena History Tour

Sunday's road ride was great, as was the weather. I was pleasantly surprised by the history lesson we would find in the TINY little town of Galena. Turns out, they have a great wetland viewing platform as well. The bike path along Highway 3 was great, with new asphalt and lots of trees.








Towns here all have little historical reference plaques that help describe where you are and how it all began. As we rolled out of town, we came across the viewing platform and the old cemetary. There was a great old Post Office that was built in 1826, as well.















The deck was great, and we saw tons of geese and vultures. When this lake is full, it will be great!

















The Galena cemetary was an amazing look back in U.S. history. Grave markers were decorated with small metal ornaments that told of any military conflict that person was involved in. GAR, Revolutionary War, WWI, War of 1812, WWII, etc. were all found in this small but crowded cemetary.














The GAR marker was a surprise, since I hadn't heard mention of GAR since about the 5th grade. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was founded by Union Army veterans in 1866. It became a very powerful group that would shape policy for over sixty years. In 1881 GAR formed the Sons Of The United States Of America to carry on the traditions established by GAR.




































My grandfather was a top bubble gunner on a B-17 in the Pacific Theatre during WWII, and lost almost all his crew in a couple of attacks wherein they had been shot down. This marker hit home for me.
















The War of 1812 was like our second Revolutionary War. On June 18th of 1812, the U.S. declared war on Britain and her colonies. Britain was at war with the French at the time, and we were aiding their effort. this angered Britain, and they began seizing our vessels and forcing our navy men to work on Brit ships. They also had blockaded harbors and assisted the Indians in fighting back American settlers. The war was fought in Canada, Nova Scotia, the U.S., and elsewhere. Washington D.C., and the White House were burned by the English, and we actually defeated their Navy in several large sea battles. During the course of the war, no territory changed hands, and none of the original disputes were settled. The U.S. lost 2,260 men, and the Brits lost 1,600. The Treaty Of Ghent was signed in 1815, but word hadn't gotten out for some time. battles still raged in Louisiana and elswehere for weeks after the signing.




































After the ride, we headed for "First Watch" in Polaris for a well-deserved breakfast. Wish you all could have come along, the route was about as scenic as you could have asked for...unless you asked for mountains. :)