Galena is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Grant County,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, about from Austin Junction in the Blue Mountains. It is on the

Middle Fork John Day River The Middle Fork John Day River is a tributary of the North Fork John Day River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It originates in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon in the Malheur National Forest near Austin and flows generally west to the North ...

in the Malheur national forest. The former gold mining camp is considered a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

. The locale was settled in 1865 as a mining community on the Middle Fork John Day River near its confluence with Elk Creek. The town was named

Susanville Susanville (formerly known as Rooptown) is a town in and the county seat of Lassen County, California, United States. Susanville is located on the Susan River in the southern part of the county, at an elevation of . Its population is 16,728 a ...

after one of the earliest inhabitants, Susan Ward. Galena post office was established in 1901 when a group of miners were able to get the Susanville post office moved from the current site of Galena two miles up Elk Creek to their mine. The new post office was named for a body of

galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It cryst ...

ore in the area, and the town was renamed as well. The mines were worked extensively in the 1860s and were still active in 1940.

References

External links

Images of Galena
from ghosttowngallery.com
Abandoned buildings in Galena
from PNWPhotoblog.com Ghost towns in Oregon Former populated places in Grant County, Oregon 1865 establishments in Oregon Populated places established in 1865 {{GrantCountyOR-geo-stub

See also

References

External links