Welcome to Galena ...
Galena is located in Lawrence County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Galena, you might get a feel for it by knowing that during our research the earliest mention that we found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.
When the people of Galena refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Galenian<2>
Galena is 4,790 feet [1,460 m] above sea level.<3> In other words, the altitude of Galena is about 1 mile [or ~1½ km] above sea level.
Time Zone: Galena lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time
Galena is within the boundaries of the (605) area code.
Communities Also Named Galena ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 25 communities that are also named Galena - they are located in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, British Columbia, Colorado (2), Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada (3), New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia (2) and Washington.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Galena.
Communities near Galena ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Galena.
- Spearfish
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spearfish have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spearfish
- Spearfish is located in Lawrence County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,900 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spearfish <5>
- Sturgis
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgis
- Sturgis is located in Meade County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,978 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sturgis <5>
- Lead
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lead have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lead
- Lead is located in Lawrence County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,947 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lead <5>
- Summerset
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerset
- Summerset is located in Meade County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,691 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Summerset <5>
- North Spearfish
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Spearfish have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Spearfish
- North Spearfish is located in Lawrence County
- Population from the 2010 Census: 2,221 people
- Deadwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deadwood
- Deadwood is located in Lawrence County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,294 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deadwood <5>
- Gregory ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south) - Whitewood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitewood have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitewood
- Whitewood is located in Lawrence County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 999 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whitewood <5>
- Piedmont
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
- Piedmont is located in Meade County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 895 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Piedmont <5>
- Johnson Siding
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson Siding
- Johnson Siding is located in Pennington County
- Population from the 2010 Census: 659 people
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Galena. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Galena.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Galena. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Galena.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Galena. See our Newspapers Page for Galena.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Galena ...
Looking for more information about Galena? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Galena, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Galena.
Adding Galena to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Galena in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Galena was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Galena.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Galena. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Lawrence County: www.lawrence.sd.us/
The official website for State of South Dakota: sd.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of South Dakota's counties, including Lawrence, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Galena refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a community's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Galena may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Galena - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |