Official Name: | Galena, Nevada |
Settlement Type: | Ghost town |
Pushpin Map: | Nevada |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | United States |
Subdivision Type1: | State |
Subdivision Name1: | Nevada |
Subdivision Type2: | County |
Subdivision Name2: | Washoe |
Timezone: | Pacific (PST) |
Utc Offset: | -8 |
Timezone Dst: | PDT |
Utc Offset Dst: | -7 |
Elevation Ft: | 4921 |
Coordinates: | 39.3497°N -119.7886°W |
Area Code: | 775 |
Blank Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Galena is an abandoned town in Washoe County, Nevada, south of Reno. The portion of Reno just south of Mount Rose Highway and west of Steamboat Springs is also known as Galena.
Galena was developed as a mining property in 1860, with the discovery of silver in the eastern foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The town greatly expanded after 1862, when it also became an important lumbering center. By 1863, there were eleven sawmills operating in Galena. The town's streets during the height of commercial activity, were crowded with "grog shops overflowed with charcoal burners, wood choppers, timbermen, millers, miners, bullwhackers and teamsters"[1]
The town was abandoned after 1867, following two disastrous fires.
In 1990, the University of Nevada, Reno Mackay School of Mines operated a training site for students at the nearby Union Mine.[2]
The site is marked by Nevada Historical Marker number 212.[3]