The Galena Trail & Coach Road Society History of the Trail BACKGROUND The Old Galena Trail and Coach Road is one of the oldest known pathways in the Midwest, with a documented history of over 10,000 years of use. What began as an Native American trading trail, linking Prairie Du Chien in Wisconsin and Peoria (Pimiteoui), has since been used by many people over the course of the area development. French Traders used the trail to transport furs south and supplies north. During the Black Hawk War in 1832, the Trail was a warpath. American settlers traveled the trail in search of new lands in northwest Illinois, southwest Wisconsin and Northeast Iowa. For slaves seeking freedom, the trail was an important route on the Underground Railroad. Today, the Galena Trail & Coach Road exists on local and state roadways from Peoria, Illinois to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and Iowa and bisects JoDaviess, Stephenson, Carroll, Ogle, Lee, Whiteside, Bureau, Marshall and Peoria counties in Illinois. THE TRAIL IN MODERN TIMES In 1833, Levi Warner surveyed a Coach Road that was built along and parallel to the older Trail. Together, the older Trail and the new Coach Road formed an intertwining pathway for American progress. Today, travelers can drive along the Galena Trail by using a series of state, county and township roads. It is a pleasant adventure into yesterday. Restoring the memory of the Trail and its French, Native American and Pioneer sites can translate into tourism dollars for hard-pressed rural villages and towns, and inspire community leaders to initiate historic preservation and conservation initiatives that can be worthwhile in and of themselves. The Galena Trail & Coach Road Society is looking toward a great future for this and coming generations that will be able to enjoy the historic stops along these scenic routes. Together we will learn and help preserve the great legacy that these trails have to offer.