Research topic: Gary

Gary city (1990 pop. 116,646), Lake co., NW Ind., a port of entry on Lake Michigan; inc. 1909. Gary was founded by the U.S. Steel Corporation, which purchased the land in 1905 and landscaped it for a city. In 1908 the first blast furnace was lit to begin the vast lakefront steel complex that was to dominate U.S. steel production and become one of the world's greatest steel centers. Gary steelworkers were especially active in the nationwide steel strike of 1919, when federal troops occupied the city for several months. In the 1970s and 80s the city's steel industry declined dramatically, leading... Read more