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ABOUT THE REGION |
, when United States Steel began construction of the world's most modern steel mill at the site that became Gary, Indiana.The Calumet region extends from South Chicago east across the Indiana line to Michigan City. Its southern boundary forms an arc from Monee, Illinois, toward Crown Point and Valparaiso, Indiana. In the nineteenth century, the region developed slowly. While ecologically diverse, the land north of the Valparaiso Moraine offered poor sites for agriculture. Consequently, the Calumet lacked the prosperity of the rural counties west of Chicago.
The arrival of the railroads transformed the Calumet region. During the 1880s, the region became the major junction for railroads entering Chicago from the south and east. Excellent transportation attracted huge new industries to the lake front, culminating in 1906
The Calumet Region in 1906
By 1920, the Calumet was one of the world's leading industrial districts, a center for the steel industry, oil refining, and various allied industries. Following the arrival of these industries, areas north of the Valparaiso Moraine developed numerous residential and commercial opportunities. The industrial communities of the region included Pullman, South Chicago, Hegewisch, Blue Island, Chicago Heights, Harvey, Hammond, Whiting, East Chicago, Indiana Harbor, and Gary. The population was diverse, attracting large numbers of European immigrants. These immigrants created community landmarks that remain scattered throughout the Calumet region.
After 1920, a population shift began as the Calumet developed large and varied sections devoted entirely to residential development and services. This trend accelerated dramatically after World War II. New residential suburbs expanded into areas previously devoted to farming. These suburbs included Riverdale, Dolton, South Holland, Homewood, Flossmoor, Olympia Fields, Park Forest, Calumet City, Lansing, Highland, Munster, Schererville, Griffith, and Merrillville.
By 1970, the decline in employment in the steel industry slowed and even halted population growth in the region. Many old industrial areas such as East Chicago, Hammond, Harvey, South Chicago, Chicago Heights, and Gary attracted minority residents, while whites moved south into newer residential areas. With the opening of shopping malls, such as River Oaks, most of the older commercial centers declined. By 1980, the Calumet region was described as blighted, a premier example of the rust belt.
Since that time, the region has defied the dire predictions of social critics. Metropolitan Chicago's recent housing boom has increased considerably the population south of the Valparaiso Moraine. During this period, racial changes have occurred throughout the region with African-American populations settling in a variety of suburban communities, from the modest to the affluent. At present, the region has become bewilderingly complex. No current model of urban life captures in a satisfying manner the complex character of life in the region. The Virtual Museum of the Calumet Region hopes to address these complexities by making residents aware of the region's history and culture.