The silver mines that established the town of Galena are long gone, but the history they left behind is golden.

Members of the Galena Historical Society work diligently throughout the year to honor their little community's past. The public is invited to learn about the town's history on a self-guided walk through town during the historical society's fifth Galena Ghost Town Fundraiser on Saturday, June 13.

Marilyn Schwaner, president of the Galena Historical Society, said volunteers recently prepared for the annual walk during the town's cleanup day at the Galena School and Vinegar Hill Cemetery.

"It's our fifth year for the cleanup, too, to get everything ready for the walk," Schwaner said. She said volunteers clean and perform general maintenance throughout the year, but there is a bigger push this time of year to prepare for the fundraiser.

The Galena Historical Society was formally organized in 1983 at a time when the old Galena School building was to be torn down.

"The school was deteriorating rapidly, and we wanted to do something. We wanted to see the school saved," she said.

Neighbors got together and formed a nonprofit organization and petitioned the school district to lease the building to them. The Lead-Deadwood School District at the time leased the school to the historical society for $1 a year. Before that, several Galena families shared the task.

In 1996, the school district deeded the school to the Galena Historical Society. The school is on the National Register of Historic Places. Since that time, the historical society has benefited from the Deadwood Fund, the Deadwood Historic Preservation and the Walter Green Trust.

Viola Coppo Chiller of Vale said she is impressed with the school's restoration. She is a member of the Galena Historical Society and lived in Galena until she was 6 years old. She attended the Galena School for one year.

"The Vinegar Hill Cemetery itself is pretty impressive, too," she said. "You can still see the old stones."

The cemetery is along the path of Saturday's walk. The historical society will display a special piece of green granite that will serve as a memorial in the cemetery for Sarah Campbell, who is most famously known as "Aunt Sally." Campbell came to the Black Hills as a cook with Custer's Expedition in 1874 and lived in the Galena area until her death. Campbell is believed to be the first black woman in the Black Hills and the first woman to file a mining claim.

Schwaner's son-in-law, Mark Luken of Whitewood, who does stone carving and lettering, will create the permanent memorial that will replicate the current wooden marker.

Jeri Fahrni, a member of the Galena Historical Society, is a niece of the late Fred Borsch of Galena. Borsch was well known in the area for having a pet coyote named Tootsie. At the 1949 Days of '76, Gov. George T. Mickelson proclaimed Tootsie the official state coyote - the same year the coyote was designated as the state animal, she said.

Fahrni said a hobby of hers is going through her uncle's old photographs of the area that he accumulated through the years. Some of the photos will be posted around town for Saturday's walk, which passes Borsch's house.

Fahrni said Galena was discovered about the same time as Deadwood in 1875. The town was named after the mineral galena, the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. "It is the main ore of lead but can contain high amounts of silver," she said.

The town once had as many as 13 saloons and a population of more than 1,000, compared to today's population of just 18 to 20. She said mines in Galena weren't as successful as area gold mines, but were still notable.

"I read that the first mine discovered here was Sitting Bull. It was the biggest, most successful mine here," she said.

She said the Sitting Bull and its neighboring mine, the Richmond, were the most productive mines in the area with an estimated $2.5 million in silver taken from the two. Galena passed its peak production very early in the history of the region, between 1881 and 1883, which led to the decline in the population.

Schwaner said the yearly walk began as a small event and has grown steadily through the years. Last year, 90 people participated in the walk and 125 people came to eat. She said people can walk as long or as short a distance as they would like.

"If you are unable to walk, you are welcome to drive down Main Street and look at the pictures," she said. "All in all, you can go about five miles, but walkers don't have to hurry."

She said hikers can take their time and stop along the route to read the markers at designated stops. Some poster signs will include photos of the areas as they were in the past and some stops will have volunteer interpreters to share historic tales.

If you go

What: Galena Ghost Town Walk and Fundraiser

When: Saturday, June 13

Hours: The self-guided tour begins at 9 a.m. The last walkers will leave at 1 p.m. to ensure everyone returns by 4 p.m.

Where: Galena

Directions: From Deadwood, take Highway 385 south and turn left at Wild Bill's Campground. Follow Galena Road for three and a half miles.

Cost: The walk is free. There is a charge for lunch, which includes brats, homemade sauerkraut, hot dogs, baked beans, chips, homemade cookies and soda, and will be served at the old Galena School. Sweatshirts and T-shirts also will be available for sale. Money raised from the food and shirt sales will go toward designated projects of the historical society, mainly the restoration of the 1882 schoolhouse and maintaining the Vinegar Hill Cemetery.