Smoky ol' town: the significance of Pittsburgh in U.S. air pollution history

Journal Article · Fri Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 2007 · EM

OSTI ID:20939439

Longhurst, James ^[1]

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1. Muskingum College, New Concord, OH (United States)

Pittsburgh came to be - and came to be dirtybecause of location, location, and location. Two navigable rivers met in the middle of a forest, and combined to form a third river. This was an irresistible meeting point for settlement, trade, and industry. It was an added bonus that this meeting point was at the center of the 'Pittsburgh seam' of coal. While the natural advantages of geography and geology initiated development, Pittsburgh's growth soon attracted man-made transportation networks to import resources from its hinterland and spread finished materials through the Midwest. As the city boomed into an industrial metropolis - the Iron City, the Steel City - through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the smoke only became worse, and Pittsburgh became known, nationally and even internationally, for its dirt, grime, and filth. For many of the city's workers and businessmen, smoke was a sign of progress and economic success. From small-scale iron production, to the process of refining coal into 'coke,' to the Bessemer steel process, to J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie's creation of the vertically-integrated U.S. Steel corporation, to the pioneering use of 'byproduct' coke ovens, Pittsburgh was home to successive technologies for transforming raw materials into finished or refined goods. Pittsburgh is both singular and representative; its story is at the forefront of pollution history, but the forces, trends, and events the city witnessed were the same in many cities across the nation. So while it is true that A&WMA's headquarters are in Pittsburgh for a reason, it is also true that its membership is spread across the nation and the world. That membership will most likely find something in these four themes from Pittsburgh's history that is representative of their own study. 7 refs., 3 photos.

• OSTI ID: 20939439
• Journal Information: EM, Journal Name: EM; ISSN 1088-9981
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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