The Illinois Steel Company was an American

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

producer with five plants in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Founded through a consolidation in 1889, Illinois Steel grew to become the largest steel producer in the United States. In 1898, several other steel and transportation companies were

merged Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

into it to form the Federal Steel Company, itself merged into

U.S. Steel United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in severa ...

in 1901.

History

The first mill associated with the Illinois Steel Company was the North Chicago Rolling Mill, founded in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Eber Brock Ward Eber Brock Ward (December 25, 1811 – January 2, 1875) was an American industrialist, iron and steel manufacturer, and shipbuilder. Ward invested in several industries in Michigan and the Midwest. He started as an owner of steamship interest ...

in 1857 as a mill to re-roll iron rails. In 1865, this mill was converted into a steel mill, shortly after the Bessemer process was introduced. The Illinois Steel Company was founded in 1889 following the consolidation of three companies; The North Chicago Rolling Mill Company had plants in Chicago, South Chicago, Chicago (1880), and

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

(1868), The Union Iron Company (1863) of Chicago and the Joliet Steel Company (1870) were also involved in the merge. The company was based in the Rookery Building in downtown Chicago. Branch offices operated in the

Empire Building An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

; the Pioneer Press Building in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

; the

Cuyahoga Building Cuyahoga may refer to: Places * Cuyahoga County, Ohio * Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio * Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio * Cuyahoga River, northeast Ohio * Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio Ships * , a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter that sank in the Chesapeake Bay in ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

; the Security Building in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

; and an office in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The Illinois Steel Company became the largest steel company in the state. The company also owned a controlling interest in the Chicago, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway, coal mines in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, iron mines in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

and

, and limestone mines in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Illinois Steel grew to become one of the largest steel and iron producers in the country by the late 1880s, producing over 1.1 million tons of

pig iron Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate product of the iron industry in the production of steel which is obtained by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with silic ...

and about one million tons of steel. The company specialized in

rail track A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, ...

(including rail, fastenings, and steel plates), mineral wool, wire, pig iron, and hydraulic

Portland cement Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco, and non-specialty grout. It was developed from other types of hydraulic lime in England in the early 19th c ...

. Railroads using Illinois Steel products included the

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and S ...

, Wabash, Chicago & Alton, and

Baltimore & Ohio The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

. Pig iron operations were handled in conjunction with Pickands, Brown & Company. The success of Illinois Steel did not go unchecked. The Carnegie Steel Company had a more efficient operation in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and sought to force Illinois Steel into receivership. Carnegie sold steel near Chicago at only eighteen cents a ton, forcing Illinois Steel to sell their products below production cost. The ploy worked and by 1896, Illinois Steel had drawn papers to place the company into receivership. Before these papers could be filed, however, Illinois Steel decided to focus on expanding their market to the west of Chicago, where Carnegie lacked sufficient supply lines. This strategy proved successful. In 1898, the Illinois Steel Company acquired the

Minnesota Iron Company Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to i ...

, Lorain Steel Company of Ohio, the Johnson Company of Pennsylvania, and the

Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway was a Class I railroad, operating between Waukegan, Illinois and Gary, Indiana. The railroad served as a link between Class I railroads traveling to and from Chicago, although it operated almost entirely wit ...

, forming the Federal Steel Company. Upon completion of the merge, general counsel Elbert Henry Gary became president of the company. In February 1901, Gary worked with J. P. Morgan to have him acquire Carnegie Steel. Days after the acquisition was approved, Gary announced his intent to merge Federal Steel into Carnegie to form what would be known as

. The new company began operations on April 1, 1901.

Bridges

Works include (with variations in attribution): *

Hawkeye Creek Bridge Hawkeye Creek Bridge is a historic structure located in a rural area northeast of Mediapolis, Iowa, United States. The Des Moines County Board of Supervisors contracted with Clinton Bridge and Iron Works on September 23, 1909, to design and build ...

, Hawkeye Rd. over Hawkeye Cr.,

Mediapolis, Iowa Mediapolis is a city in Des Moines County, Iowa, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. Its population was 1,688 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part of the Burlington, Iowa, Burlington, IA–Illinois, IL Burl ...

(Illinois Steel Co.), NRHP-listed *

North Skunk River Bridge North Skunk River Bridge is located northeast of New Sharon, Iowa, United States. It carries traffic on County Road G13 over the North Skunk River for . The Mahaska and the Poweshiek County Boards of Supervisors met in New Sharon in February 1 ...

, Co. Rd. G13 over North Skunk R.,

New Sharon, Iowa New Sharon is a city in Mahaska County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,262 at the time of the 2020 census. The first building was erected in 1856 by Edward Quaintance. Geography New Sharon is located at (41.469, -92.650). According t ...

(American Bridge Co., Illinois Steel Co.), NRHP-listed * Okoboji Bridge, 180th Ave. over branch of Little Sioux R., Milford, Iowa (Illinois Steel Co.), NRHP-listed * Park Avenue Bridge, Park Ave. over the San Francisco River, Clifton, Arizona (Illinois Steel Co.), NRHP-listed * Sappa Creek Bridge, Co. Rd. over Sappa Cr., 2 mi. E of Stamford,

Stamford, Nebraska Stamford is a village in Harlan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 183 at the 2010 census. History Stamford was laid out in 1887 when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was extended to that point. It was likely named ...

(Illinois Steel Co.), NRHP-listed * Sargent Bridge, Dawson St. over the Middle Loup R., 1 mi. S of Sargent,

Sargent, Nebraska Sargent is a city in Custer County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 525 at the 2010 census. History Sargent was laid out in 1883 by future Governor Ezra P. Savage. Mrs. Ruth Sherman established a post office in 1879. The office was ...

(Illinois Steel Co.), NRHP-listed *

State Highway 71 Bridge at the Colorado River State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * '' State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our ...

, TX 71, .8 mi E of jct. with FM 609,

La Grange, Texas La Grange ( ) is a city in Fayette County, Texas, United States, near the Colorado River. La Grange is in the center of the Texas-German belt. The population was 4,391 at the 2020 census, and in 2018 the estimated population was 4,632. La Grange ...

(Illinois Steel Bridge Company, et al.), NRHP-listed *

State Highway 78 Bridge at the Red River The Highway 78 Bridge at the Red River is an eight-span through truss bridge over the Red River between Oklahoma and Texas on Oklahoma State Highway 78/Texas State Highway 78. It was built as a federal relief project during the Great Depressio ...

, OK 78, across the Red River at the OK-TX state line,

Ravenna, Texas Ravenna is a city in Fannin County, Texas, United States. The population was 209 at the 2010 census. Geography Ravenna is located in northwestern Fannin County at (33.671759, –96.241773). It is northwest of Bonham, the county seat, northe ...

and Ravenna, Oklahoma (Illinois Steel Bridge Company, et al.), NRHP-listed --> *

Sweetwater Mill Bridge Sweetwater or Sweet Water may refer to: * Freshwater Places In the United States * Sweet Water, Alabama * Sweetwater, Arizona * Sweetwater River (California), San Diego County ** Sweetwater Dam, a dam across the Sweetwater River ** Sweetwate ...

, Co. Rd. over Mud Cr., Sweetwater, Nebraska (Illinois Steel Co.), NRHP-listed

References

{{reflist Steel companies of the United States U.S. Steel Bridge companies Defunct manufacturing companies based in Chicago Manufacturing companies established in 1889 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1898 1889 establishments in Illinois 1898 disestablishments in Illinois Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1889 American companies established in 1889