Steel Mills in the Snow: Part 1

Flying into Chicago just before Christmas 2008, I had the opportunity to capture some shots of heavy industry covered in snow. Our flight path took us along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, from Gary, Indiana up to Midway Airport. Although taking photos through an airplane window doesn't produce the best quality, I couldn't pass up the juxtaposition of Rust Belt factories and steel mills covered in beautiful, white snow.

Burns Harbor, Indiana

Burns Harbor is a relatively modern harbor situated in Northern Indiana. You can just make out two channels and a breakwater at the left side of the images. At this time of year, you can clearly see that the port is closed due to the ice on the Lake. Check it out on Google Satellite.

US Steel, Gary Works

Gary Works is US Steel's largest manufacturing plant. It covers over 3000 acres on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, and has an annual raw steelmaking capability of 7.5 million tons. Here's a closer view...too bad I couldn't get the airplane wing out of the shot!

More coming soon...