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In the rocky hills and gravel-filled valleys of
southeast
Kansas is the small
town of Galena, born of rugged characters when lead was discovered in
1877. Before this time, the land was only sparsely settled by
hunters and farmers earning meager livings from the rocky and sterile
soil.
The existence of lead
in the area was known by the Indians long before the white settlers
began to populate the area. Large lumps of almost pure lead were
often found on or near the surface and would be melted and made into
bullets at the camp fires.
In the spring of 1877, a couple of
young white men found several heavy stones which contained high
amounts of lead. The land owner, a German farmer by the name of Egidius Moll, wasted no time in making negotiations with the nearby
Joplin,
Missouri Mining Companies. Before long, more rich deposits
of ore were discovered and by June 1, 1877, two rival companies were
in the field bidding against each other for the lease and sale of
mining lots.
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