Lead Mine Rye

[Jono]

Just got back from a brief trip to Galena, IL....a scenic NW corner of the state...rather KY like. It was the one time home of U.S. Grant and source of 80% of the lead mined in the U.S.....a boom town in the 1800s and now one of those pretty, quaint, historic building towns full of shops and restaurants. Browsing a book store collection of "old postcards" from the area I noticed one advertising "Lead Mine Rye". Can't find anything else on it but I am sure it was one of those locally produced whiskeys popular in the area but long gone. Funny how the appreciation of whiskey leads one to always look for items of interest...be it book or antique stores etc.

The only reference I can find is on this Korean site of all places!

Lead Mine Rye Statue

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ko&u=http://www.bidbuy.co.kr/auctions/usa/listings.asp%3Frefc_id%3D34%26c_id%3D820%26item_country_cd%3Daa%26item_gb%3Dbid%26orderby%3Dbest_match%26ppage%3D20%26seller_id%3D%26page%3D1%26min_price%3D%26max_price%3D%26item_condition%3D%26sword%3D&ei=BxQTS-7aJ5L6MMT59DM&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAkQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3DLead%2BMine%2BRye%2BWhiskey%2BStatue%2B%2522Lead%2BMine%2BRye%2BWhiskey%2BStatue%2522%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26client%3Dopera%26rls%3Den

I can't find the item...

http://www.visitgalena.org/?gclid=CPOkyIe8sZ4CFQEhDQod-mSZmQ

http://www.galenahistorymuseum.org/timeline.htm

"1845-Lead ore production in the lead region (Galena, IL area; Dubuque, IA area; and southern Wisconsin), peaked at 54 million pounds, representing more than 80 percent of the nation’s total. Most of it was shipped out of the region on Galena steamboats."

A potential clue:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Galena-has-Ghosts-and-Great-Restaurants

"The museum was originally built in 1858 as the private home of Daniel Barrows, a prominent businessman of the community. Barrows had a previous home on the same site which burned down. He decided to rebuild his new home on the same site. Barrows had money; he owned a distillery, a confectionery store and a lumberyard. But after the Civil War, he fell into debt, as so many others did. Trouble continued for Barrows--his wife died and the bill collectors came. As a result, he lost his mansion."

So there was at least one distillery in the record...

And this re old shot glasses....maybe a connection:

http://www.pre-pro.com/common_stuff/Vol3No5.htm

"Burrichter Brothers was a wholesale liquor firm in Galena that was established by John Burrichter, J. H. Hellman, and G. Sander in 1844."

I wonder if the rye was possibly made for order and shipped to the area?

[Jono]

Another possible connection...from a near by city...

http://www.pre-pro.com/common_stuff/Vol5No1.htm

JOHN GRANT

DISTILLING CO.

EAST DUBUQUE,

ILLINOIS.

http://www.pre-pro.com/midacore/view_glass.php?sid=TGM1011&YourLoginID=c44c5101d450a15db2a9c98670e87c10

Brand names used by this company include: "John Grant Rye."

Company name timeline:

John Grant Distilling Co.

Address timeline:

No information

http://www.dbqkidsguide.com/attractions.cfm

East Dubuque was connected to Capone:

"Exciting because of Prohibition, speakeasies, the "Strip," Al Capone and whiskey stills in the hill, thus, at one time, giving East Dubuque the name "Sin City"."