Before the Steel Mill was built...

South Lorain's green pastures suited Johnstown steelmen just fine in 1894.
Ten months later, there'd be a steel mill here. (Photo and caption from STEEL TOWN STORY)

Last week I posted a history of the early days of the steel mill, and the article made reference to how that area along the river in South Lorain used to be forests and farmland.

Well, here's a photo of what the area used to look like in 1894,just before the Johnson Steel Works was built. It's from a terrific book called Steel Town Story – A Century with the Grandfathers, Daughters, Sons and Uncles Who Made Steel – and the City of Lorain, Ohio. It was published by USS/Kobe Steel in 1995 to commemorate a century of steel making in Lorain.

There's a few used copies for sale right now on Amazon. Of course the Lorain Public Library has a few copies upstairs in the local history area.

There's a lot of other great photos as well, including this one of the Pearl Avenue gate under construction.

Rising like a stockade in a pioneer wilderness,  the Pearl Avenue gate and gatehouse take shape in July 1894.
(Photo and caption from the book STEEL TOWN STORY.)