National Affairs: Fiat City

One day late in 1905 Elbert Henry Gary, board chairman of U. S. Steel Corp., set a well-manicured finger firmly down on a map of northern Indiana. Said he to his directors: "This will be our metropolis. We'll build near the railroad junction of Chicago where acres of land can be had for almost the asking, midway between the ore regions of the North and the coal lands of the South and East." The Steel directors nodded consent.

Purchased were 8,000 acres of barren sand dunes. On March 12, 1906 surveyors drove their first...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!