The Trib recently carried a story by Russell Working on a steel museum that’s been proposed for the former Acme Steel site on the Calumet River, way down on the south side. A coalition formed by the steelworkers’ union has purchased the structures from a scrap dealer, but the legal status of the land is questionable. Alderman Pope has his doubts about the plan, particularly regarding the location — which I share, having looked in vain for a way to see these up close. (I’ll try again this summer.)

Still, the museum would be a nice complement to the ongoing plans to create an industrial heritage corridor for the Calumet region.

Representatives of Chicago’s Steel Heritage Project envision exhibits that would teach the public about steelworkers’ lives and their unions’ struggle during tours of the old Acme Steel Co. Chicago Coke Plant at 11236 S. Torrence Ave.

Chicago’s Steel Heritage Project is a non-profit that includes groups ranging from the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois to the United Steelworkers of America. The Calumet Heritage Partnership, an umbrella group of environmental, nature and historical organizations in the southeastern Chicago area and northwest Indiana, is acting as the fiscal agent.

Of the $250,000 cost, the project has raised $65,000, which will more than cover the down payment. The largest donation, $40,000, came from the United Steelworkers of America. The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois named the facility one of the state’s 10 most endangered historic places and gave a $10,000 grant toward the project.

For steelworkers, the project is a means of preserving a common heritage of hard work and a struggle for rights. In its heyday, there were 85,000 steelworkers on the industrial belt of Lake Michigan running from the mouth of the Calumet River to Burns Harbor, Ind., said Sadlowski, who is the retired director of United Steelworkers of America District 31.