Opening Grand Cal
This file appears in: Construction of the Mill
An actual river had to be moved in order to accommodate the US Steel plant. The Grand Calumet River was moved 1,000 feet south of its previous location, so that the steel mill could be located in the best possible position on the land US Steel owned. Workers had to contend with hornets, yellow jackets, dune fleas, and snakes. In total, almost two miles of the river was straightened. The river, in its new position, was now located between the mill and the town. The huge shovel that is doing the digging is steam powered.
This file appears in: Construction of the Mill
Construction of the Mill
Unlike other well-known centers of industry, such as Pittsburgh or Detroit, where the cities significantly predated the beginning of industrial development in those areas, Gary’s history as a city begins with US Steel. In the early twentieth…