Steel is Power

Just as American warships are making a splash on the world stage, American industrial power is also capturing world attention. Amazingly, half of all steel being produced world-wide now comes from America.

America is also the world leader in coal production, needed in huge quantities to fuel all the blast furnaces and steel mills. Pennsylvania is still the king of steel, but Alabama and Michigan are also contributing.

Helping fuel the growth is the development of an immense new iron-rich region in the wilds of northern Minnesota. With a good harbor nearby, ore can be shipped all the way down the Great Lakes to Cleveland.


	We're #1 The chart above shows that America is now firmly seated in the top spot in world steel production. This is not surprising, as our iron ore deposits and coal fields are the largest in the world. But the sudden rise of Germany is also stunning, given that the German states had only come together as a nation 30 years earlier, after defeating the French.



	Smoke Everywhere Steel was already booming back in 1890 (RED box on chart), but by 1910 is positively exploding. Railroads are still consuming large quantities of steel rails, but structural steel is also in great demand, as steel-framed buildings are rising everywhere. Production of steel plate is growing just as quickly.


	Mother Lode of Iron The great Mesabi Range of iron ore is located deep in the woods of northern Minnesota. After railroads reach the region, the amount of ore removed per year is greater than for the entire country of Germany, the world's second largest producer. The main ore beds are located up to 100 feet below ground level, which requires first removing the overlying (unusable) earth. The ore can then be scooped easily into waiting train cars. It's the highest grade ore on earth.