Very interesting history. I was living in Europe and Africa in ‘69, so was completely ignorant of this occurrence. I had no idea it was so bad! Your reflection was perfect and meaningful as well. Our environment is an extension of “my body is a temple”. My dad had an appropriate, albeit somewhat crass saying, “you don’t poop where you lay” (sorry!). He always told me to leave a place better than you found it, and I think we’ve neglected to do that in most cases!
We lived in Brunswick Ohio, near Cleveland, and my dad was an owner-operator truck driver, hauling steel coils and rods from Cleveland's steel mills to factories in Chicago, Gary Indiana, and Detroit. I went with him on these trips many times.
The sight, smell, and noise in those industrial wastelands was dystopian, with no sign of plant or animal life to be found near any of them. Everything within miles was coated with a rust-colored layer of dust, and the air smelled of metallic foundries and smelters.
I graduated from high school in early June 1969, and was in Marine Corps boot camp when the river caught fire. It was the best thing that ever happened.
Today, coho salmon abound, and the Friday fish fry in nearby Lorain Ohio is world famous, featuring fresh Lake Erie perch.
The steel mills are gone, along with many jobs, but nature is back, and I'm glad of it.
Very interesting history. I was living in Europe and Africa in ‘69, so was completely ignorant of this occurrence. I had no idea it was so bad! Your reflection was perfect and meaningful as well. Our environment is an extension of “my body is a temple”. My dad had an appropriate, albeit somewhat crass saying, “you don’t poop where you lay” (sorry!). He always told me to leave a place better than you found it, and I think we’ve neglected to do that in most cases!
I think your dad's advice was spot on. My dad gave me similar advice about leaving a place better than you found it.
This was the day of my brother's first birthday. We lived in Pittsburgh at the time, and I still remember this.
Oh wow! It must have really made an impression on you.
Very intriguing and thought provoking.
We lived in Brunswick Ohio, near Cleveland, and my dad was an owner-operator truck driver, hauling steel coils and rods from Cleveland's steel mills to factories in Chicago, Gary Indiana, and Detroit. I went with him on these trips many times.
The sight, smell, and noise in those industrial wastelands was dystopian, with no sign of plant or animal life to be found near any of them. Everything within miles was coated with a rust-colored layer of dust, and the air smelled of metallic foundries and smelters.
I graduated from high school in early June 1969, and was in Marine Corps boot camp when the river caught fire. It was the best thing that ever happened.
Today, coho salmon abound, and the Friday fish fry in nearby Lorain Ohio is world famous, featuring fresh Lake Erie perch.
The steel mills are gone, along with many jobs, but nature is back, and I'm glad of it.