Pouring steel at United States Steel Company

After its formation in 1901, U.S. Steel became the largest steel company in the nation, and the first valued at over $1 billion in stock. With multiple major facilities across the region and nation, U.S. Steel thrived by controlling all aspects of the industry, what is known as a “vertically integrated” company. It owned everything from the raw materials and the transport vehicles to all production facilities. While the company suffered a downturn nationwide during the Great Depression, it roared back starting around 1940 with the advent of World War II.