Jo Daviess County is the northwesternmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 22,035. Its county seat is Galena. Jo Daviess County is part of the Tri-State Area and is located near Dubuque, Iowa and Platteville, Wisconsin. As part of the Driftless Area, Jo Daviess County contains rugged terrain compared to the rest of the state. Within Jo Daviess County lies Charles Mound, the highest natural point in Illinois, as well as eight of the ten highest points in Illinois.
Galena is the largest city in and the county seat of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 3,308 at the 2020 census. A 581-acre (235 ha) section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Galena Historic District. The city is named for the mineral galena, which was in the ore that formed the basis for the region's early lead mining economy.
Stockton is a village in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,862 at the 2010 census, down from 1,926 at the 2000 census.
The Galena River, also known as the Fevre or Fever River, is a 52.4-mile-long (84.3 km) river which flows through the Midwestern United States.
John Wayne Cox Jr. is an American politician and attorney who served a single term as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives representing Illinois's 16th congressional district.
East Galena Township is one of twenty-three townships in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,283 and it contained 917 housing units.
Elizabeth Township is one of 23 townships in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,111 and it contained 579 housing units.
Rawlins Township is one of 23 townships in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 455 and it contained 189 housing units. It was formed as Grant Township from West Galena Township on July 12, 1887; its name changed to Rawlins Township on December 20, 1887 in honor of Galena resident John Aaron Rawlins.
Rice Township is one of 23 townships in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 338 and it contained 268 housing units. It was formed as Washington Township from East Galena Township on February 22, 1859; its name changed to Rice Township on June 16, 1859.
West Galena Township is one of 23 townships in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,323 and it contained 1,849 housing units.
The Dubuque area is the general area encompassing Dubuque, Iowa. The official population of the Dubuque metro was 92,384 as of the 2005 population estimates. Although, if the unofficial counties are included, the area's population is near 190,000.
Kent is an unincorporated community in Stephenson County, Illinois. Kent is home to Solutions Bank, K & M Feed Mill, St. Paul's Lutheran Church (ELCA), Nuestro Queso cheesemakers and Kent Fire Department.
The Galena and Southern Wisconsin Railroad Company was a railroad company in the United States. It constructed and operated a narrow gauge line between Galena, Illinois, and near Rewey, Wisconsin, via Platteville, Wisconsin. The railroad went through multiple reorganizations in the early 1880s before becoming part of the Chicago and North Western Railway system. The line was unified with that of the Chicago and Tomah Railroad and rebuilt as a 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in line. As the Platteville Subdivision of the Chicago and North Western, it was eventually abandoned in 1980.
Millville is a defunct settlement in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States, located within the boundaries of Apple River Canyon State Park. Founded in 1835 and platted in 1846, the community was washed away completely by a flood in 1892. No visible remnants of its structures remain today. The site of Millville was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as the Millville Town Site in 2003.
The Galena–Chicago trail was a stagecoach route located in northern Illinois that ran from the mid-to-late 1830s until 1854. As indicated by its name, the route linked Chicago, located in the northeast of the state, with Galena which was located in the lead mining district of the northwest. The Chicago-Galena trail includes the "Stagecoach Trail" that runs between Galena and Lena, Illinois. East of Lena the stage route follows U.S. Route 20 and Business U.S. Route 20 through Eleroy, Freeport and Rockford to Belvidere. This road began as the old State Road number 2 established on 15 January 1836 and laid out by June 1837.
The Galena station of Galena, Illinois was built in 1857 and originally served the Illinois Central Railroad. The two story Italianate structure is included in the Galena Historic District. Over the years, the station hosted the Illinois Central's Hawkeye, Iowan, Land O'Corn, and Sinnissippi trains. These trains connected Galena residents as far as Chicago in the east and as far west as Sioux City, Iowa. Passenger service ceased upon the formation of Amtrak in 1971, but resumed between Chicago and Dubuque in 1974 under the name Black Hawk. Service ceased again in September 30, 1981. Today, the old depot hosts the Galena Visitors Bureau. Restoration of the Black Hawk was planned in the early 2010s, but the portion west of Rockford was indefinitely postponed in 2014.
Council Hill is an unincorporated community in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. Council Hill is a little over 6 miles northeast of the county seat of Galena.
Galena Junction is a former railroad junction in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. It is located along the BNSF Railway Aurora Subdivision. These tracks were previously built operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). A branch line to Galena also joined the main line at Galena Junction. West of the junction, the tracks converged into a single track bridge over the Galena River. The Chicago Great Western Railway's (CGW) main line also diverged at Galena Junction, running parallel with the CB&Q to the southeast and was jointly operated with the CB&Q to the northwest and East Dubuque. The Illinois Central's Iowa Division also joined the tracks west of Galena Junction at "Portage" interlocking. The CB&Q Galena Branch was abandoned in 1964, while the CGW line was abandoned in 1971 by predecessor Chicago and North Western Railway. The former CB&Q branch, along the east side of the Galena River, is now a rail trail.
Charles Smith Hempstead was a businessman, lawyer, and mayor from the U.S. state of Illinois. He is credited for serving as the first mayor of the city of Galena in Jo Daviess County. He was a promoter of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad and was the younger brother of Missouri Territory House Representative Edward Hempstead.
