Acme Steel, Chicago Coke PlantI can usually be found at the plant on Saturday mornings. After my visits, I always share the details including photos, scans, video and a detailed list of the new documents to be added to the Document Archive.
Many cold winter mornings at Acme, early on Saturdays, as I’d be deep in documents, hands blackened with coal/coke dust and then…..a peculiar sound. Instinctively, I’d hold my breath, then creep to the window and peer out, like a scared animal ready to defend itself. Only to find – a bus. CTA bus #71 terminates […]
I swore all week I’d take this weekend off but that didn’t last. Perfect weather – had an awesome ride up to 100th before I hit the plant. I ran into a couple around the quench station as I entered. Really awesome people – we walked around and chatted for about 20 minutes. We talked […]
I never thought I’d get to 20 visits. I’ve spent a lot of time at the plant. And I’m still not done. I always remind myself of how terrified I was on my first visit (I can relive it anytime I want by watching the video). Back then I didn’t know anything about coke or […]
After my revelatory moment last weekend, it was a matter of time until I ascended to the top of the coal bunker, after months of toying with this in my mind. I could have waited until Saturday (right now it is Thursday evening), but I was driving back from Michigan Thursday afternoon and Acme is […]
I came with my brother on this trip, he had never been but we had discussed many times. Did my usual hook up Ave. O to 100th, then back down Torrence. Great day for a ride, perfect crisp weather and winds were low. The finds: gas alarm w/ photos (1980) This is a number of […]
My first plan of attack was to head back into the BP office and continue to dig through the frozen landfill I have been neglecting for months. I found a big plastic bin as well which I brought back to the main office. I had been wanting to try to offload junk from the asst. […]
Keeping the streak alive! So many consecutive Saturday’s this is a serious part time job!. Turns out the pay and benefits are pretty bad but there are a hell of a lot of perks. I’m allowed to come hang out whenever I want, I basically have the keys to the place. There are more documents […]
I don’t mean this in a negative way, but things are really becoming like a solid job for me. This is eight consecutive weeks and my 15th total. For a couple weeks, things get increasingly cold, Saturday by Saturday. So I knew I’d not stay long. I had to work down in Chicago Heights so […]
Bitterly cold morning, but not nearly as cold as it could have been. I think it was around 15F by the time I got to the plant but I was well dressed and ready to go. As usual I came in around the quench station. It might be questionable to do so when I intend […]
Slept poorly Friday night for unknown reasons but knew I needed to get myself up and at ’em. A big snow storm was in the works, so I knew I had to leave the plant by 2pm. I had two distinct missions for the day. The first was to get back into Dick O’ Hearn’s […]