> INDUSTRYLAND, USA

     at Disneyland Paris | Pullman, IL

The Gilded Age was a great time to be an American (if every American was the top 1%). Several technological innovations such as the assembly line and the lightbulb were created during this time of low regulation and limited government power. A iconic part of the Industrial Revolution were the company towns that were built near factories in order to support the workers of the factory. The most iconic factory town was Pullman, Illinois.

Elliott Gearwright was born on July 2nd, 1890. He was born in a considerably wealthy family that lived in New York City. His father was a successful industrialist and his mother was a famous writer that wrote murder mystery novels. He was a rather remarkable and incredibly gifted child. At the age of 12, he built a small steam engine that took his friends around the park and shocked his teachers. By 15, he was building electrical systems for his neighborhood. After studying mechanical engineering at Carnegie Tech, he got a head start in the boom of Automobiles and bought a license to construct Ford cars. After many weeks of searching, he just couldn't find the right location that called to him. He started to lose hope for this venture, but that was until one very stormy night in Cleveland, Ohio. After many hours of trying to fall asleep, his eyes finally started to become heavy and he drifted off into a world of many clouds. 

It was silent at first but a loud booming voice came from the sky saying "Drive 12 miles south of Ohio and take a right at the cracked cherry tree, that is where you will find it. Your masterpiece". When he woke up, he described to his assistant that it was like god saw his struggle and gave him the location he so desperately needed. After making the journey, all he saw was a crumbling steel plant and rows upon rows of rotting wooden houses. He collapsed to his knees and cursed at god who responded with struck the cherry tree with a bolt of lightning. He immediately took it all back.

Steelwell was built by Carnegie Steel on August 25, 1892 as one of the many company towns built near their steel plants. The town thrived when J.P. Morgan bought Carnegie Steel and poured enormous amounts of money into factories around the country. The housing was modernized and the factory now has revolutionary steel making technology. Everything was going well, until July 2nd, 1890.  

That day was the single worst day for monopolies. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act was passed by Congress and was championed by future president Theodore Roosevelt. This act broke up many monopolies across the country, creating dozens of new companies. In addition to newer plants being constructed as well as the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, this led to the plant getting shut down and all of the workers quickly left to find better opportunities elsewhere. Steelwell soon started to crumble with the lack of maintenance, houses started to rot from termites and the steel plant started to show cracks in the exterior. Nothing changed for the next 2 and a half decades, that was until Elliott Gearwright showed up.

After much paperwork was signed, he bought the town and started to get to work. He hired a local construction crew and tore down all of the houses and was about to tear down the Steel Plant but that is when he got another vision when he fell asleep. He saw a bustling city square with the repaired steel plant looming over the area. A newly constructed Ford factory also loomed over the city square. People walked around and saw the inventions of the 2nd Industrial Revolution. Everyone looked so happy as people flocked to what looked like an inventor's workshop, showcasing the history of industrial innovation. When the vision ended, he felt a new sense of determination came over him. When construction crews entered the steel plant, they found a famished boy that was hiding behind steel making equipment. This boy was fed and found out that he was abandoned by his family but there was one thing he didn't stop talking about was the revolutionary coaster that was built in Europe. Elliott felt bad for the boy and decided to build a coaster through the steel plant. The town was built as well as the car factory, the steel plant was repaired, and a new town was born that showcased the inventions of the 2nd Industrial Revolution. To fully establish the new identity of the town, it was renamed to INDUSTRYLAND.