Curtains of Smoke: An analysis on the Jones and Laughlin’s Pittsburgh Works Steel Mill and the affect its pollution had on the local community, 1945-1960.
by Joey Craska
Site Description:
This site will dive into the affects that the Pittsburgh steel mills had on the environment in the present day. The mills closed in the 1980s however the environmental issues continue on into the present day. The steel mills were located in urban communities having an impact on specific groups of people. While the Steel Mills were a strong foundation of business in Pittsburgh, they released many pollutants into the environment. The goal of this research is to find which groups and communities were unjustly affected by the pollutants released from the Steel Mills and how they are still affected today. This is significant in the world of environmental justice because it will show data on how large industrial plants have an environmental impact on communities and others around them and specific groups of people in those communities.
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Primary Sources:
NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp., 301 US 1 – Supreme Court 1937
Secondary Sources:
Hinshaw, John. Steel and Steelworkers: Race and Class Struggle in Twentieth-Century Pittsburgh. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2002.
This source provides information regarding racial and class issues revolving around the steel industry of Pittsburgh. People of different races and ethnicities were treated differently while working in the steel mills. There were certainly disadvantages for people of color working in these types of environments. The source also takes a look into women and how they were considered “second-class” workers. The book explains the U.S Steel company and how they treated employees of color and the fight against these civil injustices.
Tarr, Joel A. Devastation and Renewal: An Environmental History of Pittsburgh and its Region. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2003.
This source explains the environmental landscape of Pittsburgh and its history. It discusses enviornmental issues with the City of Pittsburgh’s three rivers; the Allegheny, Ohio, and Mononglehala. Natural environments vs. man-made environments throughout the city and how they are intertwined are also discussed. Pittsbugh water and sewage treatment is a main issue that is analyzed in this source along with airquality throughout the city. The 1948 Donora air disaster and those affected by the disaster is also discussed and is a key part to this project.
Muller, Edward K, and John A Tarr. Making Industrial Pittsburgh Modern: Environment, Landscape, Transportation, Energy and Planning. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2019.
This source examines the advancements of Pittsburgh’s infrastructure over time. Different forms of transportation form commuting people to and from the city into the suburbs of Western Pennsylvania. Community revitalization is a very important piece of context that is analyzed in this source for the project in regards to the City of Pittsburgh. A detailed plan for the continued increase of infrastructure in Pittsburgh is outlined throughout this source.
Dickerson, Dennis C. Out of the Crucible: Black Steelworkers in Western Pennsylvania, 1875-1990. Albany, NY: State University of New York, 1986.
This source examines black steelworkers in the post World War II era and what their environment looked like. There seemed to be civil progress for blacks in the steel industry but it truly was an elusion. The source analyzes some of the events that made it appear that there was progress being made for blacks in the steel industry when these events truly did nothing to help the community of those working in the steel mills.
Jones, Kimberly Marie. Pittsburgh ex -steel workers as victims of development: An ethnographic account of America’s deindustrialization. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2003.
This source explains the struggles that African Americans and women faced while working in the Pittsburgh steel industry. This includes sexism in the workplace and gender barriers that were established throughout the steel mills. It also explains racial issues in housing along with racial issues in the work place. The source analyzes the roles of men vs women in the steel industry along with the roles of whites vs different ethnicities in the Pittsburgh Steel industry.
Hinshaw, John. Steel and Steelworkers: Race and Class Struggle in Twentieth-Century Pittsburgh. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2002.
This source provides information regarding racial and class issues revolving around the steel industry of Pittsburgh. People of different races and ethnicities were treated differently while working in the steel mills. There were certainly disadvantages for people of color working in these types of environments. The source also takes a look into women and how they were considered “second-class” workers. The book explains the U.S Steel company and how they treated employees of color and the fight against these civil injustices.
Tarr, Joel A. Devastation and Renewal: An Environmental History of Pittsburgh and its Region. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2003.
This source explains the environmental landscape of Pittsburgh and its history. It discusses enviornmental issues with the City of Pittsburgh’s three rivers; the Allegheny, Ohio, and Mononglehala. Natural environments vs. man-made environments throughout the city and how they are intertwined are also discussed. Pittsbugh water and sewage treatment is a main issue that is analyzed in this source along with airquality throughout the city. The 1948 Donora air disaster and those affected by the disaster is also discussed and is a key part to this project.
Muller, Edward K, and John A Tarr. Making Industrial Pittsburgh Modern: Environment, Landscape, Transportation, Energy and Planning. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2019.
This source examines the advancements of Pittsburgh’s infrastructure over time. Different forms of transportation form commuting people to and from the city into the suburbs of Western Pennsylvania. Community revitalization is a very important piece of context that is analyzed in this source for the project in regards to the City of Pittsburgh. A detailed plan for the continued increase of infrastructure in Pittsburgh is outlined throughout this source.
Dickerson, Dennis C. Out of the Crucible: Black Steelworkers in Western Pennsylvania, 1875-1990. Albany, NY: State University of New York, 1986.
This source examines black steelworkers in the post World War II era and what their environment looked like. There seemed to be civil progress for blacks in the steel industry but it truly was an elusion. The source analyzes some of the events that made it appear that there was progress being made for blacks in the steel industry when these events truly did nothing to help the community of those working in the steel mills.
Jones, Kimberly Marie. Pittsburgh ex -steel workers as victims of development: An ethnographic account of America’s deindustrialization. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2003.
This source explains the struggles that African Americans and women faced while working in the Pittsburgh steel industry. This includes sexism in the workplace and gender barriers that were established throughout the steel mills. It also explains racial issues in housing along with racial issues in the work place. The source analyzes the roles of men vs women in the steel industry along with the roles of whites vs different ethnicities in the Pittsburgh Steel industry.
Hinshaw, John. Steel and Steelworkers: Race and Class Struggle in Twentieth-Century Pittsburgh. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2002.
This source provides information regarding racial and class issues revolving around the steel industry of Pittsburgh. People of different races and ethnicities were treated differently while working in the steel mills. There were certainly disadvantages for people of color working in these types of environments. The source also takes a look into women and how they were considered “second-class” workers. The book explains the U.S Steel company and how they treated employees of color and the fight against these civil injustices.
Tarr, Joel A. Devastation and Renewal: An Environmental History of Pittsburgh and its Region. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2003.
This source explains the environmental landscape of Pittsburgh and its history. It discusses enviornmental issues with the City of Pittsburgh’s three rivers; the Allegheny, Ohio, and Mononglehala. Natural environments vs. man-made environments throughout the city and how they are intertwined are also discussed. Pittsbugh water and sewage treatment is a main issue that is analyzed in this source along with airquality throughout the city. The 1948 Donora air disaster and those affected by the disaster is also discussed and is a key part to this project.
Muller, Edward K, and John A Tarr. Making Industrial Pittsburgh Modern: Environment, Landscape, Transportation, Energy and Planning. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2019.
This source examines the advancements of Pittsburgh’s infrastructure over time. Different forms of transportation form commuting people to and from the city into the suburbs of Western Pennsylvania. Community revitalization is a very important piece of context that is analyzed in this source for the project in regards to the City of Pittsburgh. A detailed plan for the continued increase of infrastructure in Pittsburgh is outlined throughout this source.
Dickerson, Dennis C. Out of the Crucible: Black Steelworkers in Western Pennsylvania, 1875-1990. Albany, NY: State University of New York, 1986.
This source examines black steelworkers in the post World War II era and what their environment looked like. There seemed to be civil progress for blacks in the steel industry but it truly was an elusion. The source analyzes some of the events that made it appear that there was progress being made for blacks in the steel industry when these events truly did nothing to help the community of those working in the steel mills.
Jones, Kimberly Marie. Pittsburgh ex -steel workers as victims of development: An ethnographic account of America’s deindustrialization. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2003.
This source explains the struggles that African Americans and women faced while working in the Pittsburgh steel industry. This includes sexism in the workplace and gender barriers that were established throughout the steel mills. It also explains racial issues in housing along with racial issues in the work place. The source analyzes the roles of men vs women in the steel industry along with the roles of whites vs different ethnicities in the Pittsburgh Steel industry.
Image Analysis:
This image provides an aerial overview of the J and L steel mill located in the South Side of Pittsburgh during a typical day of operation. This image is produced by the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania which covers the city of Pittsburgh and its greater area. The image stands out with its large, ample amount of furnaces stemming from the Steel mill and its proximity to downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The environmental justice site is not just the mill itself, but the surrounding neighborhoods in the proximity of the mill. However, the sprawling steel mill located on the southern shore of the river, and its neighboring steel mill on the adjacent northern shore of the river (across Hot Metal Bridge located in bottom right) are the sources of the environmental contamination. The Jones & Laughlin Steel Company mill created an industrialized environment for surrounding communities and its inhabitants.
In this photo, the thick smoke from a multiple steel mill furnaces roams through the air and across the monongahela river on which the mill resides. The smoke appears to clear the residential areas above the steel mill across the photo, but make no mistake, there are even more residents residing across the river on the North side. In this photo there already seems to be a large amount of smoke rising in the air and it appears that only half of the furnaces are turned on at this exact time. If all the furnaces were turned on, one may not be able to see much of the image through the smoke filled air. There is smoke rising from the bottom of the mill as well. This image shows the amount of air affected by the steel mill and the effects that it could have on the local community. Families that lived directly by the steel mill, mostly the families of employees, had to deal with the thick smoky air produced by the vast mill.
In the distance of the photo, you can see the the skyline of downtown Pittsburgh. These tall skyscrapers are home to corporate, big name office buildings. These buildings are not engulfed by mill smoke and appear to be safe from the environmental effect from the steel mills. It is important to recognize that white collar employees working in these large skyscraper buildings had much to do with the ownership of the steel mills. These office buildings in which owners and managers worked from had easy access to bridges and infrastructure which would allow them to easily commute to their homes in the North and South Hills, significantly farther away from the Steel mills. The downtown area of Pittsburgh remained environmentally clean and those who worked there had homes located nowhere near the steel mills. The corporate buildings in the image earned a much larger wage for its employees than those of the laborers working in the steel mill down the river. They also had much cleaner air.
The railroads play another crucial part in the image. You can see many tracks located in the bottom left of the image. These train tracks do not look like they were used for individuals to commute, but for industrial use and shipping. The large amount of steel produced needed to be transported on the railroad creating even more environmental injustice to the local area. The inhabitants of the area had no other options but to live with the pollutants created by the railroads and pollutants coming from trains. In the photo there are railroads going in many different directions. The large stack of tracks on the left side represent the transportation of steel beyond the South Side of Pittsburgh and the Hot Metal Bridge (bottom right) shows a railway that could connect the steel mill to the North.
This image helps prove that the surrounding communities of the steel mill were essentially living in an industrial jungle. While employees had to work at the steel mill to earn a living wage to support their families, they could not afford to live far enough from the mill to avoid its environmental effects. This part of the city was smoked in by the Jones & Laughlin Laughlin Company Steel mill on the south side of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Data Analysis:
Oral Interviews:
This is an oral interview with my father, Frank Craska. He was born during the 1960s and grew up in Greenfield, PA. This neighborhood was located within a mile of the Jones and Laughlin Steel Mill. Throughout the interview he provides insight on what it was like growing up in the community in which the steel mill affected.