Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science

Manufactural Geography of East Chicago-Whiting, Indiana (A Study in Geographic Rehabilitation) Alfred H. Meyer and Diane Heidtmann Paetz, Valparaiso University This study is one of a continuing series of industrial community geographic surveys of the Calumet region of northwest Indiana and north- east Illinois, of which already four have been published—those of Michigan City, LaPorte, Gary, and Chicago Heights. The objective is to review and evaluate the salient historical geographic forces which enter into the development of the manufactural pattern, such as elements of settlement, locative factors, transportation facilities, sources of raw materials, markets, and zoning-planning of industrial land. Appraisal of actual and potential manufactural resources is based on questionnaire and interview data and field mapping. The contiguous cities of East Chicago (pop. 57,669) and Whiting (pop. 8,137) form a compact industrial unit fronting on Lake Michigan and focused on Indiana Harbor and its ship canal (1). Whiting is primarily a petroleum refining center; East Chicago dominates in primary and fabricated metals. Some three-score establishments are oriented areally to three sectors of the transportation pattern. Rapid industrial expansion and crowding of industrial sites without the benefit of a con- current adequate zoning and planning program have resulted in wide- spread residential blight. The problem of providing improved living and recreational facilities in an area whose residential occupance constitutes only 11 percent of the total area of the two cities, and still provide for extra land needed for growing industries presents a challenging redevelop- ment project. Historic-Geographic Perspective This industrial community, variously characterized as "The Work- shop of America, Where Rail and Water Meet," and "The Steel Capital of the World," was a relatively late comer on the Midwest manufactural scene. One of the reasons for the belated settlement and development of the area is revealed on the first maps and field notes of the Federal land survey of about the year 1830, represented in composite form in Figure 1. Here we note, among other data, "the east-west parallel sand ridges 50 links to 5 chains wide separated by narrow marshes," flanking the "Grand Callumic River," and another series of interlinear sand ridges and marshes extending northwestward to the Indiana-Illinois state line. The West Calumet region itself, of which this area is a part, was physiographically frustrating: "The prairie was too wet to cultivate. The east-west orientation of the deep Calumet marshes made approach to Lake Michigan from the south extremely difficult. But an even greater barrier to travel headed for the lake was the east-west marshes flanking the Kankakee River immediately south of the Calumet area" (2). Nor- mally, any enterprising community exploits available or potential navi- gable waterways; but the shallow, sluggish, and meandering Grand Calu- met needed straightening and dredging to be of any service to East Chicago and neighboring communities. In view of the forbidding dune-marsh topography, U. S. Army engineers, as late as 1872, could not commercially justify a dredging project. However, potential navigability of waterways, 169 Figure 1. The East Chicago-Whiting area in Fundamental Perspective—the environ- mental features under Indian and pioneer white man's occupance. (From a larger Calu- met regional map in Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. XLVI, 1950, pp. 314-315.) . : Geology and Geography 171 especially when the navigational pattern takes on new commercial significance, as in this instance, have a way of commanding periodic reassess- ment of values, as is shown in Figure 4. Once the full import of geographic site and situation at the head of Lake Michigan and their orientation on the Chicago transportation and marketing center was realized, "waste" land took on a new geographic concept—wide open spaces, and at the price much below that of corporate communities. This might be said to have been the beginning of Midwest industrial decentralization. The immediate antecedent events that led to the initial industrializa- tion of the area are well described by Moore The expansion of the steel industry in the Chicago area was largely responsible for the origin and development of East Chicago and Gary. This expansion was from the heart of Chicago eastward along the shore of Lake Michigan. Cheap transportation on the Great Lakes was one of the most important factors in the development of the iron and steel industry in the Calumet Region of Illinois and Indiana. The industrialists of the late nineteenth century recognized the value of the excellent facilities afforded by the numerous railroads in the region. They also saw the possibilities of harbors along the Lake for the reception of iron ore, coal, and limestone as well as for the shipment of finished products to market. Moreover, adequate sites were available for industrial purposes at reasonable prices. Originally, the iron and steel industry in the Chicago area was concentrated along the Chicago River near the heart of the city. Foundries were built there as early as 1839. By the second half of the century the sites near the river were too valuable for industrial purposes. Industrialists then turned their attention to the sparsely settled region known as South Chicago. In 1870 the Federal govern- ment started the development of the South Chicago Harbor at the mouth of the Calumet River. Ten years later, the Illinois Steel Com- pany began construction of its South Chicago Works alongside this harbor. In the beginning, the steel officials thought they had a site large enough for all time, but the erection of this great steel mill set off a boom in South Chicago which lasted for several years. Other industries located there, and part of the area was subdivided for residential purposes, with space set aside for parks and schools. As a result, land for industrial purposes became scarce and expensive. Therefore, industrialists and speculators began to seek sites across the state line in Indiana (3) The site of East Chicago was laid out in 1887 by the Standard Steel and Iron Company; the William Graver Tank Works was the first to establish itself in the community (1888). The Whiting community, wedged in between East Chicago, the north arm of Hammond and Lake Michigan, had its industrial inception about the same time (1889), when the Standard Oil Company erected its first unit of the now celebrated world's largest oil refinery (the 1880 census recorded a village population of only 115). Much of the same geographic advantages applied to the founding of oil refineries here as for steel in neighboring East Chicago—close to the newly developed markets of the * ;;!• I! 4Li-..-, U SIOHH1S ^ N K •""M £fc: V % o % o *H A o 4! < q o 4> S81 D <~~» 1- & «Sj * $ & oj *w ' « o ss o 3 ^ »-», | | o o ! ! : ats 1 | O <0& * «5 I u O i - wj ; !! S O I * IS . Geology and Geography 173 Midwest; sharing the benefits of the land and water transportation facilities converging on Chicago, but without its high taxes; an abundance of water; and a large regional labor force. How the modern industrialists themselves assess the locative factors is revealed by our questionnaire, in approximately the following order of importance: proximity to Lake Michigan (Indiana Harbor and the navi- gable section of the canal) ; railway and highway transportation facilities; markets; availability of land, and, in some instances, buildings. Other miscellaneous responses include: relatively central location in Calumet area; discovery of oil in Lima, Ohio, 1885, and in Mid-continent area, 1888; nearness to refinery and/or steel plants (symbiotic) ; potential marketing in Midwestern states, centering on Chicago; closeness of an unlimited supply of fresh water (Lake Michigan) ; and because of rejec- tion elsewhere (Chicago did not want certain industries of suspected nuisance or hazard types) Regional resources of raw materials, both nearby and from afar, are of particular geographic significance. As earlier indicated, the featuring manufactures of the area are identified with steel fabrications and oil refining. Raw materials of the former are primarily iron ore from the Mesabi range of Minnesota, coking coal from Kentucky, and limestone flux from Michigan. The source of raw petroleum for the latter (originally the Lima, Ohio area) is now centered on the Mid-continent field—Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, and the Gulf Coastal area generally, with a limited supply also from Indiana and Illinois. More recently, Wyoming and New Mexico have been added to the list of petroleum producers for the Whiting refineries. It is the manufactures of semi-processed materials of these two major industries which in turn supply so-called raw materials for the many satellite manufactures in the community. The neighboring Buffington area to the east is a large producer of sand, gravel, and cement. Other significant raw materials include special types of clays from South Dakota and Wyoming; gypsum from Louisiana; lead and zinc products from western United States ; and asbestos from Canada. Figure 2 is designed to show the general progress of area spread of the industrial pattern. It is noteworthy that within the short span of four decades the major pattern had been set. The Manufactural Pattern Is One of Compactness A survey of the distribution pattern of manufacturing establishments suggests a threefold division of the East Chicago-Whiting community (See Figure 3). The northern area (A), the earliest and largest manufacturing district to be developed, is noted for heavy industries requiring expansive tracts of land and combined water and rail facilities, such as Figure 4. The Cal-Sag Navigation Project. Within five years after completion, the channel is expected to handle an annual commercial traffic of 12 million tons ; ulti- mately 18 million or more.

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