Driving Around St. Louis Suburb Granite City, Illinois in 4k Video

Filmed on Saturday, July 6 2024, I drive around Granite City, IL to see what's going on. Granite City was founded in 1896 to be a planned company city similar to Pullman, Illinois, by German immigrant brothers Frederick G. Niedringhaus and William Niedringhaus for their Granite ware kitchen supplies factory. In the 1870s, William discovered an enamelware process in Europe whereby metal utensils could be coated with enamel to make them lighter and more resistant to oxidation. The brothers' process made the utensils resemble granite. The resulting product was enormously popular. In 1891, the brothers bought 3,500 acres from business tycoon Lars Kovala. This land extended from the Mississippi River across the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad tracks for their new Granite City. The plant prospered until the 1950s when aluminum, stainless steel, and pyrex replaced iron-based utensils. As of 2008, several large manufacturing corporations operate in the city, including U.S. Steel, Precoat Metals, Capri-Sun, Kraft Foods, Heidtman Steel, Prairie Farms, and American Steel. #drivingtour #stlouis #stlouismo