Tales off Ten Cities

With wit and grit, Midwestern communities try to cope

"Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation."

Carl Sandburg's description of Chicago at the beginning of the century was every bit as accurate for the rest of the Midwest. With its raw energy and perpetual motion, the nation's heartland was synonymous with prosperous cities. Over the years, Chicago became identified with hogs, Toledo with glass, Detroit with automobiles, Akron with rubber. Youngstown with...

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