What If There Were No Gary?
INTERLUDE
Big news broke around this time in 2018. U.S. Steel announced it would invest nearly a billion dollars over five years into its largest manufacturing plant in Gary, Indiana. This is the most significant investment in Gary Works in decades. US Steel already set funds aside for asset revitalization, and Gary would receive a piece of the action. Everyone seemed to be excited. In fact, Gary’s mayor gave the steel giant nearly $40 million in tax breaks (over 25 years) to further incentivize U.S. Steel actually to follow through with the investment it promised. In addition, the state of Indiana gave U.S. Steel an additional $10 million tax break (over 10 years) to incentivize U.S. Steel to retain nearly 4,000 jobs.
Happy days cometh.
This news got me thinking about everything I’ve learned about Gary’s history over the past 10 years. Sometimes I wish I never became as curious as I did. Knowing all of the elements Gary had — then lost — made me depressed. I shouldn’t have been because I am not responsible for the decline of this place. Like many, I want to see change, but sometimes I couldn’t help but feel change probably would never happen — positive change anyhow.
I took a ride with a friend the other day. She grew up in Delaney Housing Projects across the street from Gary Roosevelt. We met in East Chicago in junior high school. She’d been to the military and did a couple of stints in Iraq before finishing her tour back in the states. As we hung out, she blurted that she was tired of seeing decrepit homes and buildings and wanted to see areas of Gary she was used to living around while stationed in North Carolina. So we rode out to the Miller neighborhood.
Her eyes lit up with glee when seeing all of the beautiful homes hidden amongst Miller’s dunes. I enviously viewed hundred-thousand-dollar condos and million-dollar mansions packed together like sardines. It’s crazy that in a city such as Gary, places like this exist. It’s almost understandable why Miller’s richest residents fight so hard to distance themselves away from Gary.
Almost.
My friend and I left Miller that afternoon feeling like we had goals to reach. Yet, for me, at least, reaching those goals felt like science fiction. This brings me to an interesting thought while touring Miller — what if there were no Gary, Indiana? This is an exciting thought exercise. But, mind you, this is solely my opinion and for entertainment purposes. It’s not meant to be a serious proposition.
GARY UP
It is January 1905. Judge E. H. Gary and his partners of the Illinois Steel board are just on the verge of agreeing to a deal with the state of Indiana to construct a large steel mill on the southernmost shore of Lake Michigan. Because Chicago politicians were politically hostile to the mill's expansion within their city, Illinois Steel had to look elsewhere. So Illinois Steel preferred building this new mill in Duluth, which would place that prospective mill closer to the company’s most important iron ore fields. Officials in Duluth have been courting Judge Gary for months and openly advocated for a Minnesota expansion. However, all eyes were on the area just north of the small village of Tolleston in Lake County, Indiana.
Why that spot?
The property Gary Works sits today was already bought up by Chicago-based speculators, prospectors, and investors years prior. Armour meatpacking stockyards threatened to move out of Chicago to the spot Gary Works would later be constructed if Chicago did not provide them with the tax breaks they wanted. As a result, there was a literal land grab by the rich and powerful nearly a decade before the announcement of Gary Works’ construction.
An exclusive hunting club called Calumet Heights Gun Club was in operation inside the speculation area. Well-to-do Chicagoans went there to hunt animals (and do other things that were not made public). A small colony of cabins and taverns was built and maintained by the gun club. Members of the club were of the elite — including members that were executives of Illinois Steel. I do not doubt that these members were the ones behind the Armour land grab.
When it was made known that Armour was bluffing, the land grab properties plummeted in value. Hundreds of people were stuck with worthless parcels and wanted to recoup their investments. Additionally, Illinois Steel was already operating near the vicinity. At Buffington, they owned property based on their cement plant, #3 and #4 mill — later known as Portland Cement and Universal Atlas Cement.
I have no idea why Illinois Steel wanted to expand in the first place. There was an economic boom in 1904. It seems maybe Illinois Steel wanted to take advantage of the Midwest market as quickly as they could as a result. Yet, while seeking expansion, it’s only natural to assume that Illinois Steel officials in the Calumet Heights Gun Club chose their club’s site as the place to build. It is a fact that Illinois Steel officials were in the gun club. Still, I’ve seen no evidence that their membership or control over the property was in any way influential to Illinois Steel’s decision to move to that particular spot.
What made it attractive? The land had no value agricultural-wise or colonization-wise. Yet the hunting club had near-complete control over large swaths of the property already, it was devoid of human colonization, there was absolutely no local competition, they could build away from prying eyes, Lake Michigan cornered it, and it was near the railroads — Pennsylvania Railroad, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, their many subsidiaries, and the already operating cement department.
In our timeline, the deal fell through, and Gary, Indiana, was born. The reasons for this are numerous, including a lucrative tax break given to the company by the state of Indiana and the federal government.
However, in MY timeline, this deal fails.
GARY DOES NOT GET WINGS
My timeline is entirely fictional, yet it is based on some facts. If you are savvy, you should know exactly what knowledge I used to create this alternate timeline.
- Let’s say that the government of Indiana was not willing to provide the steel conglomerate with the proper tax incentives needed to negate the financial effect of such a massive construction project.
- Let’s say environmental advocates in Chicago and Washington D.C. were behind the scenes lobbying the Indiana legislator against industrial expansion near Lake Michigan.
- Let’s say that East Chicago and Hammond, fearing being annexed, went on the offensive and annexed parts of the area north of Tolleston to the outskirts of the Calumet Gun Club’s property before U.S. Steel could finalize its real estate purchases.
- Let’s say B&O Railroad files an injection against Illinois Steel over the property that it owns (which Gary Works sits on today), blocking the deal by holding it up in court.
Any one of these could have the potential to help kill the deal, so let’s use all four.
Just as quick as the rumors came, the Lake Michigan winds blew away yet another potential colony to settle the wilds of Gary. Landowners and speculators are once again furious, and they question Judge Gary’s ability to broker deals. However, for Illinois Steel, not all is lost. The East Chicago annexation provides a window of opportunity. First, East Chicago already had a small steel mill established on the shore of Lake Michigan, Inland Steel, and plans for constructing a shipping canal were being finalized and executed. Secondly, their annexation included the property which their cement division at Buffington sat. All Illinois Steel had to do was buy Inland. They would control the entire southern shore of Lake Michigan as originally intended.
Yet, there is a problem. A rich Jewish family established Inland. As such, they employed many people of Jewish descent that would have faced persecution working in other mills — if they got hired at all. Inland was an economic haven for Jewish people and other minorities in general. Given sentiments of the time, the push to purchase Inland would have been a hard pill to swallow.
Ever the pragmatist, E. H. Gary, and the Illinois Steel board apply pressure on Inland by offering lucrative shares and promising to continue to support the Jewish community in exchange for buying Inland. In addition, the state of Indiana is more open to approving this deal, as Illinois Steel would expand on property that is already industrialized, diminishing the leverage of environmental lobbyists. Finally, being that B&O’s property was no longer in jeopardy, they lost leverage to prevent the purchase of Inland. Inland is now owned by Illinois Steel and renamed Indiana Steel. The expansion continues along the shore of Lake Michigan. However, there is no city of Gary. The area in which Gary sits today remains wild for the majority of its early alternate history.
A NEW STEEL MECCA
As a result of Inland being merged with Illinois Steel, East Chicago suddenly becomes Gary's hot spot in our timeline. In MY timeline East Chicago and Indiana Harbor merge into one city earlier. They drop the ‘Chicago’ name so it can have its own identity. The new city is named Buffington Harbor, Indiana — after the man whose name is on the property the new Indiana Steel company sits upon. E. H. Gary does not enjoy having another city named after himself. Yet, he is still powerful and influential in the region. He spearheads the effort to turn ‘Buffington Harbor’ into a world-class city for his employees — using the same measures taken to build up Gary.
The new expanded version of East Chicago includes Clarke Station, Pine Station, Ambridge, Horace Mann, and Emerson, with Tolleston (north of 11th Avenue) bordering it on the south. Obviously, most of these neighborhoods would not have the same names — save for Clarke Station and Pine Station. Migration of minorities from the south still occurs, but they do not come to Gary. They come to Buffington. You can use your imagination to envision what the fictional city of Buffington Harbor, Indiana, would look like.
Because Gary Works was not built, the railroads in ‘Gary’ do not need to be moved. There is no Gary & Western. There is no Gary Union Station. Miller retains its interlocking between LS&MS and B&O. The Grand Calumet River is never seriously altered. However, since the steel industry invests in the region, the railroads still build expansive rail yards along their right-of-ways. There is a ‘Kirk Yard’ built, but it would be closer to East Chicago today.
The Buffington area would be highly industrialized, a far cry from what it is today. Indiana Steel would cover the entire current Buffington area. Everything that Gary Works has today would be built there instead. Because of the shipping canal, it could be possible that Buffington Harbor would be what Burns Harbor is today. Meaning not only would Buffington Harbor have the steel mill, but it would also have Indiana’s only trade port. All of Northwest Indiana’s major factories would be concentrated in one spot. This also means that the footprint of the mill’s operations would be smaller than it is currently in our timeline.
Everything that Gary had — Ambridge Company, Screw and Bolt, Alco, etc. would have still been built — but closer to East Chicago and Buffington Harbor. All railroad elevations would be located in Hammond and East Chicago. The concentration of industries would be intense. However, for the era, this was a normal occurrence.
TOLLESTON
Tolleston incorporated into a town only because Gary threatened to annex it. In MY timeline, Tolleston incorporates to prevent Hammond from annexing it. The wheels turn against Tolleston because of its proximity to the alternate footprint of US Steel. Eventually, portions of it get annexed by Buffington Harbor and Hammond, similar to what happened in our timeline with Gary annexing Tolleston.
MILLER
Miller, which incorporated to prevent Gary from annexing it, retains its independence throughout Illinois Steels activities in MY timeline. But as a result of the concentrated power of the steel mills, LS&MS and B&O railroads both plan to build an expansive jointly controlled rail yard in Miller. They do this because EJ&E would control the rail yards near the alternate Indiana Steel plant in Buffington Harbor and South Chicago Works. Thus, they need their own space to serve the Chicago market properly.
Miller does not avoid woes. They still fight against the railroads, much in the same manner that occurred in our timeline. In MY timeline, however, Miller still plans to incorporate for the same reason — to prevent Buffington Harbor from annexing it. But, of course, Buffington never has any serious plans to gobble up Miller, as it is busy building up neighborhoods for employees of the mills and railroads.
Hobart gets into the game. Hobart has its own storied history with the railroads and is more railroad friendly at this time in history than Miller. In our timeline, Hobart annexed large swaths of land around the same time that Gary was built. Hobart actually thought of completely annexing Lake Station and Miller. However, the populous of Miller is more friendly towards annexation by Hobart. So in MY timeline, Miller and Lake Station become Hobart. Hobart and Tolleston become suburbs of Buffington Harbor and Hammond.
In exchange for annexation, Miller gets Hobart to get the railroads to build their yards further south of Miller. Lake Station becomes the region’s second-largest railroad hub as a result.
CROWN POINT
Because no Gary is sucking the life out of the real estate market, Crown Point flourishes. It retains itself as the county seat, but expands exponentially northward. There would be no Merrillville, as it would be a part of Crown Point. It could be possible that Crown Point expands northward to touch the alternate border of Glen Park. The city would be where industrial executives reside. They have railroads, but no yards are built there.
HAMMOND
Hammond already enjoys economic growth due to it bordering Chicago. However, it also benefits from Ivanhoe, Black Oak, Tolleston (south of 11th Avenue), and central Gary. It markets itself as the perfect blend of industry and suburban living. Hammond is the go-to city for those who want to avoid the congestion of Buffington Harbor yet be close enough to get to work.
GLEN PARK
Glen Park would avoid annexation by Hammond and East Chicago because of Nickel Plate Railroad. Because there is no Gary to suck the life out of the economic growth of other communities, the town that was plotted out — Nickel Plate City — would be built. This includes most of Black Oak, Small Farms, and central Gary. Nickel Plate is smart to have built its yard so far from Hammond. Because Hammond is already congested, the stomach of another rail yard is weak. In MY timeline, the current Van Loon rail yard is expanded two-fold. Van Loon yard is a major yard, receiving traffic from the Joliet Cutoff as well. Businesses flock to Nickel Plate City to take advantage of the proximity to the yard, especially the agricultural businesses of south Crown Point. This causes the city to grow. Glen Park is annexed into Nickel Plate City, thus avoid annexation by Hammond, Crown Point, and Hobart.
As I stated before, this is just my opinion and only meant for entertainment purposes. Of course, some things could be very different from how I wrote it. It’s difficult to predict all the little nuances and political battles that would have been fought if Gary had not been built. But that’s the fun in doing stuff like this.