US Steel Waukegan Works

(Satellite, the "green area (weeds)" along the lake front)

Provided by Vic Belec via Genealogy2000

Provided by J. Gantar via Genealogy2000

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American steel wire company Waukegan Illinois postcard 1909
[Actually, after 1901 this plant was US Steel.]

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Trademark Washburn & Moen

Washburn & Moen Steel Mill in Waukegan, IL 

Retrieved from the Waukegan Historical Society archives

The Waukegan mill was a wire mill, and, given their logo, barb wire was one of their important products.

The decision of the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Co. of Worcester, Mass., to build the mill in the Midwest [in 1891] was considered big and brave in the industrial world, but it allowed faster and cheaper delivery of products.
At a time of rapid industrial and commercial growth, the mill spit out all kinds of wire, nails and chains that were distributed throughout America and from Canada to Mexico to Australia.
The mill burned in 1899 and was bought by American Steel and Wire, only to be sold to U.S. Steel two years later. The mill eventually became outdated and closed in 1979. [ChicagoTribune]

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AS&WC Rolling Mill

Washburn & Moen Steel Mill in Waukegan, IL 

Retrieved from the Waukegan Historical Society archives

cusedvirus Flickr

Washburn & Moen

Washburn & Moen Steel Mill in Waukegan, IL 

Retrieved from the Waukegan Historical Society archives

The above 2x
I read the date as 1883 or 1888. Either year is before it burned.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP
At photo resolution

USGS, 1960 and 1972 Weukegan (sic), 1, 24,000

At the 1:24,000 scale, a topo map would normally show the buildings. But I suspect that US Steel would not give them permission to come on the property. So all the map maker could do was to indicate where their property was. I learned about the "no permission" issue when I was reading a Sanborn Map of Joliet. The part that contained US Steel was blank except for the words "Permission to enter was denied." The purpose of those maps was for fire insurance salesmen to access the fire risk of a property. US Steel was big enough that it was probably self insured so there was no advantage to them to appear on the map.