A 125-Year History of Galena.

by Michael Hofferber

Established in 1879, Galena was a 19th century boom town like many others across the West. But, unlike Idaho City and the Yukon, the rush to these hills was not for gold. It was mostly silver that sent prospectors scurrying up the Wood River tributaries and it was “galena,” a high grade mix of silver and lead ore, that inspired the settlement named Galena at the southern base of the Sawtooth Mountains.