Founded in 1796, Youngstown, Ohio, was for many years a small community hugging the banks of the Mahoning River. Although the area was an iron-producing region beginning in the early 19th century, it was steel that gave the Mahoning Valley and its largest city its signature identity. The images in this volume reflect the overwhelming presence of the steel industry and its enormous impact on the lives of the city's people. From the built environment to the neighborhoods, public buildings, and its very workplaces, steel was the lifeblood of this city. At its peak, Youngstown was the second-largest steel-producing region in the United States, and the mills lining the Mahoning River gave the area its sobriquet: "America's Ruhr Valley." Youngstown was indeed "built on steel."
