Big Steel Riverboat Tour
The Big Steel tour will most likely contain the following seven destinations. Each link will go to a short description of the historical significance of that particular destination circa 1948. Hopefully, eventually each site will be visitable. However due to current time constraints the Homestead 48" Universal Plate Mill will be the only site that will be rendered in 3-d by our group. Most information for the following links was researched in John D. Hoerr's "And the Wolf Finally Came, the Decline of the American Steel Industry,University of Pittsburgh Press, 1988- and Stephan Lorant's "Pittsburgh, the Story of an American City", Lenox, 1977. Additional information has been provided by our client; Doris Dyen, of the Steel Industry Heritage Corporation.
The story of steel in the Pittsburgh area is in large part the story of Andrew Carnegie, and later U.S. Steel. Carnegie's first steel plant was built in 1872 in when he and a group of investors purchased 107 acres of farmland in Braddock's field (The field was known as such because it was the location where French and Indian troops ambushed and slaughetered the incompetent General Edward Braddock's army in 1755.) The enormous success of the Braddock plant led to Carnegie's virtual monopoly of the steel industry in the region. In 1901 Carnegie sold his steel interests to J.P. Morgan to form U.S. Steel Corporation. U.S. Steel dominated the steel industry for decades, with the heart of its business being the Homestead, Braddock, Rankin, Duquesne, and later the National Tube Works plants.
Riverboat Tour
To navigate the tour, simply click on the different view points located in the vrml browser controls. To view information and a picture of each site click on the acccompanying icon (usually a steel mill). Different views are available by clicking on the view menu on your browser. The 4th site, Homestead, will contain a VRML rendering of the 48" Steel Mill building and by clicking on the mill, you will be able to enter and see a picture of the actual press.
Take the Tour!*
*NOTE: If you have not done so already, we strongly urge you to acquaint yourself with the abilities and system requirements of VRML by visiting the VRML Info page.
These nine sites are the primary points of interest along the Rivers of
Steel boat tour and they are included in or VRML tour of the Mon Valley.
You may visit the sites here first, before proceeding with the tour. The
points in order are:
|
The Point Site 2: The South Side Site 3: West Homestead Site 4: Homestead Site 5: Rankin |
Braddock Site 7: Duquesne Site 8: McKeesport Site 9: West Mifflin |