South Deering

The community area that is now known as South Deering saw its first wave of major development beginning in 1875 when the Joseph H. Brown Iron and Steel Company opened a mill near Lake Calumet. "Irish, Welsh, English, Swedish, and German immigrant laborers flocked to the area for factory jobs," and because of the prevalence of steel mills in the area, "the ensuing settlement was known as Irondale." International Harvester, an agricultural machinery manufacturer, purchased Brown's mill soon after 1900, "and then announced the construction of a new facility, Wisconsin Steel, to produce steel for its tractors and combines." Other companies opened factories in the area, such as the Gold Medal Flour Company, Illinois Slag and Ballast Company, and the Federal Furnace Company, and the local economy boomed during this period of growth.