The Calumet Region around Lake Michigan’s southern rim once housed massive steel mills, workshops, and railroads. Capitalists like Elbert Gary built factories and dominated local governments. During its heyday in the twentieth century, the Calumet Region was also a thriving district for immigrants who worked dangerous jobs.

But even before the area’s decline started in the 1970s, intense racial, ethnic, and political strife determined job and housing prospects. In the Heart of the Rustbelt details how people struggled as factory rules and local politics failed to protect residents from health hazards and sabotaged workers’ rights. 

Roger Biles and Mark Rose describe how workers organized (or didn’t), the ethnic neighborhoods where they lived, and the distinct foodstuffs, such as Hungarian goulash, that both bonded and excluded immigrants. The authors also showcase individuals including Gary, IN Mayor Richard G. Hatcher, who fought for equality. Chapters also explore the lives of steelworkers Eddie Sadlowski, who sought to democratize the union, and Mexican American Jesse Villalpando, who experienced union and management’s hostility in hiring and job assignments. 

In the Heart of the Rustbelt provides a fascinating history about industrial growth and why race and ethnicity mattered as the Calumet Region rose and fell. 

Roger Biles is Professor Emeritus of History at Illinois State University and the author, coauthor, or editor of fifteen books, including A Good Place to Do Business: The Politics of Downtown Renewal since 1945 (Temple).

Mark H. Rose is Professor of History at Florida Atlantic University and the author, coauthor, or coeditor of eight books including A Good Place to Do Business: The Politics of Downtown Renewal since 1945 (Temple).