INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE

In the last half of the XIX century great amounts of coal, oil and gas were discovered in the region, mainly in the Appalachian range in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia (Fairmont, New River, Pocahontas). That fuelled an incredible industrial development across the region. With the iron ore deposits discovered in the Lake Superior coast (Minnesota and Michigan upper peninsula) and shipped to the many ports in the Lake Erie south coast (Toledo, Sandusky, Lorain, Cleveland, Asthabula, Conneaut, Erie, Buffalo) a great steel industry flourished in many cities of the Ohio valley (Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Huntington, Ironton, Portsmouth) and nearby (Youngstown, Akron, Canton) including the Lake Erie (Cleveland, Lorain, Toledo, Erie, Buffalo) and Lake Michigan (Gary, East Hammond) coast.

US Steel, National Steel, Armco Steel of Pittsburgh; Youngstown Sheet & Tube, Republic Iron & Steel of Youngstown or Wheeling Steel were giants of steel well known nation wide. In 1930 Pennsylvania produced the 34% of the American steel and Ohio the 23%.

           
                          Carnegie Steel Works in Bellaire (Ohio)

Almost any kind of industry you can imagine were established in the region. From pottery in Ohio (East Liverpool, Zanesville) to glass across West Virginia (Clarksburg, Huntington, Wheeling), Ohio (Lancaster, Cambridge, Newark, Toledo) and Indiana (Kokomo, Muncie, Terre Haute, Vincennes, Evansville). Did you know that the world famous Coca-Cola bottle was first designed and produced in Rott Glass Co. of Terre Haute in 1915 ?

Tool machines, farm equipment, meat packing, home apparel, locomotives, tobacco, dairy products and, of course, automobiles.

Detroit was the birthplace of American car industry. Ford, General Motors and other companies helped to develop that great city of Michigan and surroundings (Flint, Pontiac). But the car industry spanded across the region and stablished plants in Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis and other cities like South Bend (Studebaker) or Toledo (Willys-Overland).

Rubber industry born in Ohio to supply tires for the car industry: Findlay, Toledo and mainly Akron. This city was really the "rubber city". Akron was the world largest producer of rubber with such companies as Firestone, GoodYear, General, Kelly-Springfield. Akron grew from 69.000 inhabitants in 1910 to more than 250.000 in 1920, an incredible fact even by today standards.

           
                                                Akron (Ohio)

                                                                                         Fort  Wayne  (Indiana)

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©  MAINSQUARE  USA  Geography Project.   Texts and graphic designs by Juan Vicente Santamaría Gil  2004