Galena, Illinois called Galena "La Pointe" and early Americans adopted this name as "The Point". Early documentation officially records the name as "Fever River", an early name for the Galena River, though it does not appear that this name was commonly used. George Davenport, a retired colonel in the United States Army, successfully shipped Galena's first boatload of lead ore down the Mississippi River in 1816. Three years later, Jesse W. Shull built a trading post. The Thomas H. January family, who arrived in 1821 from Maysville, Kentucky, are considered the first permanent American settlers. The next year, the US Department of
Galena, Indiana Galena, Indiana Galena is a census-designated place (CDP) in Floyd County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,818 at the 2010 census. The CDP includes the town of Galena as well as the nearby town of Floyds Knobs and their immediate surroundings. Galena was originally called Germantown, and under the latter name was platted in 1837. A post office was established as Galena in 1843, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1933. Galena is located at (38.350585, -85.940435). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land