Joliet Iron and Steel Works, former iron & steel mill in Joliet, Illinois
The Joliet Iron and Steel Works is a historic factory site in Joliet, Illinois, where steel was produced from the late 1800s until the 1980s. The grounds contain the remains of blast furnaces, brick factory buildings, and machinery remnants, all accessible via a 1.5-mile paved trail network with interpretive signs.
The factory was built beginning in 1869 and was once the second-largest steel mill in the US. It employed workers from Southern and Eastern Europe and played a major role in supplying steel for railroads and bridges, before ceasing production in the early 1980s.
The name reflects the iron and steel production that once shaped life in this area. Today, visitors can read from the ruins how important this factory was to the community and how hard the work of the people here was.
The site is open year-round from 8 am until sunset and offers a picnic shelter available for small events. Visitors should check the website or social media for any trail closures before visiting, and the area is easily reached by car, located east of Route 53.
The works used water from the nearby Des Plaines River to generate power and had four massive blast furnaces that could produce thousands of tons of pig iron daily. This mass production supplied not only the local economy but shaped the industrial development of the entire region.
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