The grave of Julien Dubuque is placed on a point that offers a beautiful view of the area, above…read morethe mouth of Catfish Creek and the Mississippi River. Julien Dubuque was born in Quebec in 1762 and died in 1810 in the city that bears his name. Dubuque was granted rights by the Mesquakie Indians to mine lead in the area, and he remained in the area for the rest of his life. When he died, he was buried on this high point overlooking the Mississippi River and city. The log crypt was replaced by this stone monument sometime in the 1880s. Not only is the city named for him, there is an upscale hotel, a bridge and a film festival that also bear his name. He befriended Chief Peosta, who is also the namesake of Peosta, Iowa. Legend has it that he married Chief Peosta's daughter, supposedly named "Potosa." There is little evidence to support the legend, which also claims that Potosa was the namesake of the Wisconsin lead-mining community of Potosi. Residents of Potosi claim the city was named for Potosi, Missouri, which, in turn, was named for the silver mining town of Potosi, Bolivia. Julien Dubuque opened Iowa for European settlement. The governor of Spain also granted Dubuque permission to mine lands under Spanish control, and the park that contains Dubuque's monument is named Mines of Spain. The area was mined until 1914. It is a beautiful site, with a view of the City of Dubuque, a few miles to the north. The monument is a short walk from a parking area.

The Mines of Spain Park is fairly small but has some great hiking trails. Not to be missed is the…read moreDubuque Monument Tower where Julien Dubuque is buried. Yes, the town of Dubuque received it's name from the French Canadian who arrived to these shores of the Mississippi River as one of the First European men. Unlike most settlers who tortured and murdered the local tribes, Dubuque befriended the Meskwaki Native American tribe's Chief Peosta and peacefully received permission to mine lead in 1788. (He may have even named his daughter "Potosa" after the tribe...a little Pocahontas story in the making.) Subsequently, the Spanish gave Dubuque a land grant for such a feat in 1796. After his death, the Meskwaki constructed a log crypt for Dubuque's corpse, which was later replaced in the late 19th century by this stone monument tower. A little history for you! There is a plaque commemorating Dubuque next to his grave which explains the story more in depth. For those who are unable to hike, there is a parking lot at the top of the hill where the monument stands tall to allow cars up to enjoy the views of downtown Dubuque, the Mississippi River, and the rest of the Mines of Spain. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area and only a 5 minute short drive from Downtown.

Used to be a great place to find out about Galena. However, they were locked up tight on a Sunday…read moreand all the cubbyholes on the wall where info and flyers used to be were gone. No signs in the windows about being moved. The building itself is highly interesting. It was a train station, back in the day... Newsflash: I have learned that the tourist info stuff was moved to the Market House joint in the northeast area of the downtown. West side of river of course.

This is the Dubuque County Freedom Rock. Completing the Freedom Rock tour of all 99 Iowa counties…read moreis something my girlfriend and I have been working on for the past few years. We are four rocks away from the end of our journey at this time. Not only do we learn about the military involvement and the contributions of veterans in each county... A lot of times we stumble on other hidden gems, that we had no idea even existed, as we venture further into our own backyard. As happy as I am going to be when hit 99 and finish our Freedom Rock Tour...a little part of me is going to really miss these trips. We'll just have to find another "tour" to pick up! When you are checking out each Freedom Rock make sure you explore the surrounding area for other points of interest. And please remember to support local businesses...! Visit https://www.thefreedomrock.com/ for more information on Iowa's Freedom Rocks and the tour!

Very well done reconstruction of an old frontier fort. There is a nice short walk to the fort with…read moreinteresting information on the Blackhawk war that was fought here

Apple River Fort is a historic site located in charming downtown Elizabeth, IL. There is a store…read moreand exhibit space when you enter, with staff members who can give you a great education about the fort, it's history, and why the town is named Elizabeth. Great family experience with the kids, too. Especially fun to then tour the fort which has been re-constructed or re-produced from the original. A video presentation is available in the lower level of the store, too. And admission is free. As good as it gets.

5/9/24 @ 5 pm - This is probably one of my favorite libraries I've visited in the U.S. Not only…read moreis the architecture and decor strikingly beautiful and well-thought out, the activities, variety of leases, and engaging events are likely a catch for everyone (small kids to senior citizens)! They have kids' room, teens' room, so many different rooms, help desks, sitting areas, donation boxes, restrooms, art displays, games, etc. I could write about this library in numerous paragraphs and still not cover all it has to offer and see. I particularly loved the daily bake off (see photos), electronics charging station, baking dish rentals, self-defense classes, modern computer game for up to four kids to play at once. Visit if you're in the area or not too far. This would be a regular destination for me if I lived here. My camera was blurry on this rainy day, but hopefully pics help someone make an informed decision.

Restored and open as of September 18, 2010…read more What a beautiful old building, so lovingly restored. Walking around, exploring the space, one is struck by the joy the craftsmen builders must have felt as they built and restored this wonderful place. The staff could not be more helpful, the collection impressive. Welcome back! Such a delight! Enjoy!

It took me well over a decade living in Illinois to get to Galena. I'm glad I finally went…read more The town's claim to fame is that Ulysses S. Grant lived here, both before and after the Civil War. The second claim to fame is that there were nine generals who at one time resided in Galena, which obviously would be a pretty high concentration for even a large city but particularly a small one like this. Interestingly, Galena was a bustling town when Chicago was nothing but a swamp. Besides history, I think Galena is popular for things like kayaking and canoeing. There are resorts in the area, and at least one golf course. Shopping also seems to be somewhat of a popular hobby here. There are tons of shops up and down Main Street where you can find almost anything to meet your heart's desire. I'll certainly return, but probably on a weekday or two. I have not been a fan of huge crowds for some time, long before COVID, and the sheer volume of people wandering around was annoying to me. Next time I'd like to take a trolley tour and a hot air balloon ride, as well as a ghost tour!

Went on a day trip to Galena with hubby. Interesting place!…read more It has a number of neat historical sites, mostly related to Ulysses S. Grant. He lived in Galena and his house can be visited as well - although we went on a day that was closed - bummer! There are apparently also numerous generals that lived in Galena. The city has numerous shops in the downtown area, along with numerous restaurants, a few museums. We took the trolley tour as well which was nice and informative. The city has a number of inns/bed and breakfast, mansion, etc. Parking was a challenge and we had to go up and down the streets numerous times to find a place to park. Grant park is also an area that can be visited. Has numerous areas with inclines and steps though, so get your walking shoes on!

Who visits libraries when they are in a town for vacation or a short trip? Why, I do! If they are…read moresignificant, anyway. This one is a beautiful Carnegie library from the early 20th century (1908, I believe). Galena's public library is on Bench Street just above Main. It's a very small library but mighty for sure! They have an old fashioned system for their shelves that I wish I understood but it's in great condition. There's a small reading area on the north side of library and it looks very cozy. The fireplace is beautifully decorated as well. Downstairs is the children's library and the historical collection. I wandered into that room and one of the men working there was so helpful! There was one guy working with a couple who was trying to do some genealogical research, and the other man asked me if there was anything I was looking for. Not being from Illinois, there's no particular personal history of interest to me, but I did ask about Masonic lodges; he mentioned there was a lodge just down the street and showed me something in the old records that listed the Masonic organizations that exist(ed) in Galena. He showed me some of the newspapers they still have in their collection. These are the actual newspapers that were printed on the day in question, so he pulled out some that talked about the death of President Lincoln and the aftermath. He also showed me one from when Richmond fell during the war. It was really cool! I don't know if I realized that newspapers were once printed with more of a cloth-like blend as opposed to wood pulp, and these editions were in such good condition I at first thought they were copies of the originals, not the original printing themselves. He invited me to look around at things as well, and I found a notebook that talked to some extent about the history of enslaved people in the area. They're in the midst of a project where they're digitizing the records, so at some point you'll be able to view these items online. They'll retain the original items of course, but it will be a treasure trove that will be more easily accessible to people throughout the world doing research on their families, midwestern history, or this little town home to a few historically important people. The front entrance, as you may have guessed if you looked at the photos, is not accessible. But fear not; there's an accessible entrance in the back, where the parking lot is, and an elevator that can take you up to the main floor.

We went to the genealogy department to get some inflammation on family history in Galena. The staff…read morewent above and beyond helping us for an hour and printing out articles and pulling up pictures on line and in databases. We were so thankful that they took the time to help us.

Dubya was awful. He always made me want dubuque. But the taste of bile makes me feel worse so I…read moreresisted. And right now I'm resisting napping. You could say I'm resisting a rest. I really like the city of Dubuque. It's beautiful and it's next to a river. It's old and sleepy and reminds me of the city that time forgot. It has some pretty old buildings and the nice relaxed feel to it. Unfortunately there are a lot of homeless people and there is a drug problem here. It's noticeable in several areas close to downtown. The fact that they have an excellent Gyro in town and a lot of pretty scenery combines with the negative elements to equal four stars. Now I need to go to the library and borrow some buques.

It's all ran down, people we ran into call it depuke. Not a tourist area, unless you want to see…read morethe historical dumps no one appears to care.