Heritage · restored public domain

Steel & Soil

Northwest Indiana has always lived between the field and the furnace. These 92 photographs, kept by the Library of Congress, show both: the plow teams and threshing crews, and the mills an hour up the road.

26 restored photographs · Horses and Plows · Tractors · Harvest

Soil

Plows, horse teams, tractors and threshing crews breaking and working the ground.

Eighty-year-old farmer plowing IA, 1940, black and white photograph — SS-001 Eighty-year-old farmer plowing IA1940 · Horses and Plows

Hired hand brings in horses IA, 1939, black and white photograph — SS-002 Hired hand brings in horses IA1939 · Horses and Plows

Hired man brings in horses IA, 1939, black and white photograph — SS-003 Hired man brings in horses IA1939 · Horses and Plows

Plow and harrow with team IA, 1940, black and white photograph — SS-005 Plow and harrow with team IA1940 · Horses and Plows

Plowing with four horses, Grundy County IA, 1940, black and white photograph — SS-007 Plowing with four horses, Grundy County IA1940 · Horses and Plows

Plowing with team, Grundy County IA, 1940, black and white photograph — SS-008 Plowing with team, Grundy County IA1940 · Horses and Plows

Ten-horse team, Hardin County IA, 1939, black and white photograph — SS-009 Ten-horse team, Hardin County IA1939 · Horses and Plows

Unhitching ten-horse team IA, 1939, black and white photograph — SS-011 Unhitching ten-horse team IA1939 · Horses and Plows

Breaking virgin soil, El Indio TX, 1939, black and white photograph — SS-012 Breaking virgin soil, El Indio TX1939 · Tractors

Bridgeton NJ, diesel tractor plowing, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-013 Bridgeton NJ, diesel tractor plowing1942 · Tractors

Bridgeton NJ, large diesel tractors, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-014 Bridgeton NJ, large diesel tractors1942 · Tractors

Disk plow breaking sod, El Indio TX, 1939, black and white photograph — SS-015 Disk plow breaking sod, El Indio TX1939 · Tractors

Plowing with tractor, Jasper County IA, 1940, black and white photograph — SS-016 Plowing with tractor, Jasper County IA1940 · Tractors

Tractor near abandoned tenant house OK, 1939, black and white photograph — SS-017 Tractor near abandoned tenant house OK1939 · Tractors

Tractor plowing, Grundy County IA, 1940, black and white photograph — SS-018 Tractor plowing, Grundy County IA1940 · Tractors

Harvesting wheat, Queen Anne County MD, 1937, black and white photograph — SS-019 Harvesting wheat, Queen Anne County MD1937 · Harvest

Harvesting wheat, Ritzville WA, 1936, black and white photograph — SS-021 Harvesting wheat, Ritzville WA1936 · Harvest

North Carolina threshing, 1936, black and white photograph — SS-022 North Carolina threshing1936 · Harvest

Threshing oats, Brookeville MD, 1937, black and white photograph — SS-023 Threshing oats, Brookeville MD1937 · Harvest

Threshing, Brookeville MD, 1937, black and white photograph — SS-024 Threshing, Brookeville MD1937 · Harvest

Wheat harvest, Monroe County IN, 1941, black and white photograph — SS-025 Wheat harvest, Monroe County IN1941 · Harvest

Winter wheat, Whitman County WA, 1936, black and white photograph — SS-026 Winter wheat, Whitman County WA1936 · Harvest

28 restored photographs · Barns · Farm Families and Livestock · Grain Elevators

Home Place

Barns, farm families, livestock and the grain elevators that rose over the prairie.

Barn, Bucks County PA, 1939, black and white photograph — SS-027 Barn, Bucks County PA1939 · Barns

Barn, Grundy County IA, 1940, black and white photograph — SS-028 Barn, Grundy County IA1940 · Barns

Barn, Montgomery County MD, 1940, black and white photograph — SS-029 Barn, Montgomery County MD1940 · Barns

Barn, Whitman County WA, 1941, black and white photograph — SS-030 Barn, Whitman County WA1941 · Barns

Dairy barn, Wabash Farms IN, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-031 Dairy barn, Wabash Farms IN1938 · Barns

Old barns, Fort Klamath OR, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-032 Old barns, Fort Klamath OR1942 · Barns

Pennsylvania Dutch barn, 1943, black and white photograph — SS-033 Pennsylvania Dutch barn1943 · Barns

Cattle at trough, Ottawa County KS, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-034 Cattle at trough, Ottawa County KS1938 · Farm Families and Livestock

Cattle pens, San Augustine TX, 1939, black and white photograph — SS-035 Cattle pens, San Augustine TX1939 · Farm Families and Livestock

Examining cattle, Sikeston MO, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-036 Examining cattle, Sikeston MO1938 · Farm Families and Livestock

Farm family at dinner, Montana, 1939, black and white photograph — SS-037 Farm family at dinner, Montana1939 · Farm Families and Livestock

Farm family on steps, Ohio, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-038 Farm family on steps, Ohio1938 · Farm Families and Livestock

Farm family, Johnson VT, 1937, black and white photograph — SS-039 Farm family, Johnson VT1937 · Farm Families and Livestock

Farm family, Southeast Missouri, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-040 Farm family, Southeast Missouri1938 · Farm Families and Livestock

Farmer watering cattle, Frederick MD, 1940, black and white photograph — SS-041 Farmer watering cattle, Frederick MD1940 · Farm Families and Livestock

Farmers on fence, cattle auction MO, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-042 Farmers on fence, cattle auction MO1938 · Farm Families and Livestock

Freight car and elevators, Omaha, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-043 Freight car and elevators, Omaha1938 · Grain Elevators

Grain elevator, Duluth, 1941, black and white photograph — SS-044 Grain elevator, Duluth1941 · Grain Elevators

Grain elevator, Erie Canal, Buffalo, 1943, black and white photograph — SS-045 Grain elevator, Erie Canal, Buffalo1943 · Grain Elevators

Grain elevator, Minneapolis, 1939, black and white photograph — SS-046 Grain elevator, Minneapolis1939 · Grain Elevators

Grain elevator, Ontario OR, 1941, black and white photograph — SS-049 Grain elevator, Ontario OR1941 · Grain Elevators

Grain elevator, Vincennes IN, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-050 Grain elevator, Vincennes IN1938 · Grain Elevators

Grain elevators, Amarillo TX, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-051 Grain elevators, Amarillo TX1942 · Grain Elevators

Grain elevators, Homestead MT, 1941, black and white photograph — SS-052 Grain elevators, Homestead MT1941 · Grain Elevators

Grain elevators, Minneapolis, 1939, black and white photograph — SS-053 Grain elevators, Minneapolis1939 · Grain Elevators

Western Texas grain elevator, 1937, black and white photograph — SS-054 Western Texas grain elevator1937 · Grain Elevators

19 restored photographs · Steel Mills · Industrial Architecture

Steel

The mills that stood an hour up the road from the fields: blast furnaces, slab mills and plate mills.

Blast furnaces, Detroit, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-055 Blast furnaces, Detroit1942 · Steel Mills

Geneva UT steel mill under construction, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-056 Geneva UT steel mill under construction1942 · Steel Mills

Inactive steel mills, Pittsburgh, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-057 Inactive steel mills, Pittsburgh1938 · Steel Mills

Sparrows Point MD steel mill, 1940, black and white photograph — SS-058 Sparrows Point MD steel mill1940 · Steel Mills

Steel mill, Pittsburgh, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-059 Steel mill, Pittsburgh1938 · Steel Mills

Tapping a blast furnace, Pittsburgh, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-061 Tapping a blast furnace, Pittsburgh1938 · Steel Mills

Tapping for slag, Pittsburgh, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-064 Tapping for slag, Pittsburgh1938 · Steel Mills

Tapping slag at blast furnace, Pittsburgh, 1938, black and white photograph — SS-065 Tapping slag at blast furnace, Pittsburgh1938 · Steel Mills

11-inch mill, Johnstown PA, Date per archive record, black and white photograph — SS-066 11-inch mill, Johnstown PADate per archive record · Industrial Architecture

44-inch slab mill, Braddock PA, Date per archive record, black and white photograph — SS-067 44-inch slab mill, Braddock PADate per archive record · Industrial Architecture

48-inch plate mill, Homestead PA, Date per archive record, black and white photograph — SS-068 48-inch plate mill, Homestead PADate per archive record · Industrial Architecture

Blast furnace No. 3, Monessen PA, Date per archive record, black and white photograph — SS-069 Blast furnace No. 3, Monessen PADate per archive record · Industrial Architecture

Blast furnace No. 8, Fairfield AL, Date per archive record, black and white photograph — SS-070 Blast furnace No. 8, Fairfield ALDate per archive record · Industrial Architecture

Blast furnaces, Johnstown PA, Date per archive record, black and white photograph — SS-071 Blast furnaces, Johnstown PADate per archive record · Industrial Architecture

Blast furnaces, South Bethlehem PA, Date per archive record, black and white photograph — SS-072 Blast furnaces, South Bethlehem PADate per archive record · Industrial Architecture

Rolling mill, South Bethlehem PA, Date per archive record, black and white photograph — SS-073 Rolling mill, South Bethlehem PADate per archive record · Industrial Architecture

19 restored photographs · Workers · Assembly Lines

Hands

Welders, inspectors and line workers. Many farm families sent a son or daughter to the mill.

Decatur AL shipyard welder's helper, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-074 Decatur AL shipyard welder's helper1942 · Workers

Welder, Douglas Dam TN, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-075 Welder, Douglas Dam TN1942 · Workers

Welder, New Orleans shipyard, 1943, black and white photograph — SS-076 Welder, New Orleans shipyard1943 · Workers

Welder, Shasta Dam, 1941, black and white photograph — SS-077 Welder, Shasta Dam1941 · Workers

Woman welder, Beaumont TX shipyard, 1943, black and white photograph — SS-079 Woman welder, Beaumont TX shipyard1943 · Workers

Aircraft assembly line, Stratford CT, 1940, black and white photograph — SS-080 Aircraft assembly line, Stratford CT1940 · Assembly Lines

B-25 assembly line, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-083 B-25 assembly line1942 · Assembly Lines

B-25 bomber final assembly, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-085 B-25 bomber final assembly1942 · Assembly Lines

B-25 final assembly line, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-086 B-25 final assembly line1942 · Assembly Lines

Inspector checks P-51 assemblies, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-087 Inspector checks P-51 assemblies1942 · Assembly Lines

Nashville, moving assembly line, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-088 Nashville, moving assembly line1942 · Assembly Lines

Outside assembly line, aircraft plant, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-089 Outside assembly line, aircraft plant1942 · Assembly Lines

P-51 assembly line, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-090 P-51 assembly line1942 · Assembly Lines

P-51 final assembly, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-091 P-51 final assembly1942 · Assembly Lines

Wilmington CA shipbuilding, general view, 1942, black and white photograph — SS-092 Wilmington CA shipbuilding, general view1942 · Assembly Lines

About these photographs

Restored, never redrawn

Every photograph here is a public-domain original held by the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Each one links to its archive record. We show them in black and white, and we never enlarge them past what the original scan can hold. Restoration and layout by Flatland Farms; no copyright is claimed in the photographs themselves.