Sepia Saturday: Aerial View of US Steel – Gary Works

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U.S. STEEL PLANT - NARA - 547097

U.S. STEEL PLANT – NARA – 547097″ by Sequeira, Paul, Photographer (NARA record: 8464471) – U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

The official launch day for this blog is tomorrow, February 1. But when I saw this week’s Sepia Saturday theme, I jumped the gun. I knew right away which photo I wanted to feature. This is not it; but it is an aerial view of US Steel – Gary Works. The photo I had in mind includes a span of the dock along the Lake Michigan shoreline; but, this photo actually captures more of “the mill” itself — with Lake Michigan in the background.

I was glad to read in the guidelines that photos don’t actually have to be sepia. I don’t know if this photo was shot with a filter. Being from the area, I can attest to the fact that no filter would have been needed to achieve the purplish hue — only the right time of day or weather conditions. As a matter of fact, just reading back over the previous sentence reminds me of the first line in our school hymn: “‘mid sand dunes and purple-hued skies, a temple of knowledge there lies, enhanced by nature and soft dove cries — Roosevelt dearly loved.” Imagine. A sepia-toned photo would have robbed you of that tidbit.

I was raised in this steel town; and have seen many photos of the mill that enabled my Daddy to feed, clothe, and provide for us. This one is now etched in my memory alongside the one along the shoreline.

And a big “thank you” to the Sepia Saturday brand, for providing me with a way to “add flavor” to my February 1 launch!

14 thoughts on “Sepia Saturday: Aerial View of US Steel – Gary Works”

    • It truly did for me. As always, I was editing as I wrote. And immediately after I changed the phrase, “purple cast” to “purple-hued,” the line in our school hymn came to me. I felt like it really underscored my photo selection. 🙂 Thanks for commenting.

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  2. Another welcome to you Donna, and keep doing whatever interests you…that way we can all share your life through your blog! I’ll not be commenting as much cause “wordpress” asks for so much info here for each comment…but I will be reading your SS posts for sure!

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    • Thanks for welcoming me, Barb. This seems to be a great group. Hmmm. I’m trying to grasp the workings of commenting outside of my platform. So I think I understand you about WordPress. We’ll get it figured out. 🙂

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  3. Hi Donna – I’ll add my “Welcome to Sepia Saturday” to the list! Being a music-minded person, your post brought a smile and my immediate need to start singing the song from “The Music Man” – “Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana let me say it once again…” I mean, you knew SOMEbody was gonna catch that, so it might as well be me. :)) Good solid post!

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    • LOL! You’re right. I knew it was coming. Either that or, “Did you know Michael Jackson?” Thank you for the warm welcome and for making me smile as well.

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  5. I started my career in a British steelworks and knew of Gary in those days (1960s) due to its involvement with oxygen steelmaking,
    Glad you have joined the Sepia Saturday club.

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    • Bob, thank you for welcoming me to Sepia Saturday. I always knew US Steel “put Gary on the map” so to speak. But I never knew to what degree. All the way to the UK. Impressive. I recall going on a couple of tours; but can’t say I specifically remember the term, “oxygen steelmaking.” But I do have some photos in mind of the giant ladle of molten product being poured that probably ties in with that term. Thanks again.

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  6. Gosh I feel privileged to be one of the first Sepians to welcome you to the club and congratulate you on your first post. I’m sure that growing up in Gary would make the quality of light from an industrial town something to remember. I look forward to reading more.

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    • Thanks, Mike; but the privilege is mine. As a matter of fact, I didn’t realize the difference in the sky until I visited Gary after my move to Houston. The haze was the first thing I noticed when I walked out of Midway. I couldn’t stop looking up. I’ve been admiring the Sepia Saturday club all the time I was constructing my blog. I love looking at old photos. Thanks again for the warm welcome.

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