CHICAGO (WLS) — At one time, Chicago was one of the world’s leading cities for steel production. And for many years, tens of thousands of people were employed in the industry.

A new exhibit at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry looks at the science, the impact and the human stories behind steel-making here in Chicago.

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David Vance is a member of the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees. He advocated for the creation of the exhibit.

“The steelworkers that made the steel our voices are important because we’re part of Chicago. We thought that our story hasn’t been told,” Vance said.

“What we did to build the skyline of Chicago, the Skyway Bridge,” Vance continued.

He says he was inspired to propose the Steelmakers exhibit after taking family who was visiting Chicago to the museum, where they saw the coal mine.

“I had to explain, we didn’t mine coal in Chicago. We made steel,” Vance said.

Vance says he then spoke with his steelworker friends and said there needed to be an exhibit that showcased the steel industry.

Dr. Voula Saridakis is the head curator at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.

“This is a community story. We’re talking about an industry that helped build the city of Chicago, helped build the skyline,” Saridakis said. “It changed the economy of the city, it helped give Chicago an identity.”

And she says the exhibit is called “Steelmakers” for a reason.

“It really was the people, the heart behind the making of the steel that built the city and the country and the world,” Saridakis said.

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