U.S. Steel Gary Works Photograph Collection, 1906-1971

Lesson 4: People, Places and Environments

Middle school : Lesson 1 | Lesson 2 | Lesson 3 | Lesson 4

Lesson plan developed by Laurie Welken.

US Steel was producing all their major steel in Pennsylvania in the early 1900s. As the cost of transporting steel began to rise, so did the need to create a US Steel Plant in an area more centralized to reduce the distances in transporting the steel products. US Steel searched for the ideal location. An ideal location needed to fulfill these criteria: cheap land, plentiful space, lake transportation to easily access iron ore, a deep harbor for ore freighters, a great water supply and a major railroad system. Gary, Indiana met all the criteria, and the decision was made to build the steel plant in that location.

Standards alignment

Guiding questions

Learning objectives

After completing this lesson, students will be able to:

Preparation

Lesson plan

Extending the lesson