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Anyone who has lived in our region over the last 100 years or so has been affected in some way by the operations of Weirton Steel Corp. or its successor companies. Whether you've worked there yourself, had a family member or friend employed in the mill, or even operated another business in the community, you have benefitted from the manufacturing of steel, tin or other materials from within those walls.
This weekend, for all intents and purposes, that appears to be coming to an end as the Cleveland-Cliffs Weirton tinplate, the final vestige of the company founded and named after E.T. Weir in the 1920s, goes idle. Actual manufacturing ceased a few weeks ago, with workers spending their remaining time fulfilling the orders the plant still had on its books.
Friday afternoon, most of the men and women who have been working at our local mill will have turned in their badges, departing the mill gate for possibly the final time as they try to move forward into their next chapter.
Company officials have said a couple hundred have opted for retirement, with others taking positions at other Cleveland-Cliffs properties across the country and another group opting to look for employment elsewhere. A final segment will remain on hand throughout this year, tasked with maintaining the equipment inside in the event the operation would be able to be restarted.
The community we know today exists because of the steel industry. It also exists because of the hard work of enterprising individuals who gave everything within to shape a future for themselves and others.
From the early frontier to an agricultural expanse and then a center of our nation's industrial marvels, the area now known as the Upper Ohio Valley has drawn people to its land for generations with the promise of opportunity.
This is a day none of us thought would ever come, and while there is still some hope for a return to operations, it is understandable there is despair making its way through our town.
There is uncertainty of what path is before us, and, as with the way we have all been affected by the highs of that manufacturing facility, we, too, will be affected by this lowest of lows. We will be saying goodbye to some of our friends, family and neighbors who will leave the valley to look for opportunity elsewhere. Those who remain will have to make some changes to the lives they have known. Businesses will be affected as they may see fewer customers come through their doors.
It will be a bitter pill to swallow, but the hope must remain that, eventually, that taste will go away and be replaced by something better.
Much like those workers at the tin mill, or the Native Americans, pioneers and farmers who came here before, the rest of us also are being forced into a new chapter.
None of us knows what the future holds for this mill, or the community that surrounds it, but it is incumbent upon us all to fight for and work toward a better future. People have started to take notice of our area and what we can offer, and we seemed to finally be turning a bend after so many years of downturns. Instead we have hit a large pothole in the road of progress. It will set us back for a time. We may have a tire or two to repair, but, eventually, we can get back on the road and move forward again.
(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter/X @CHowellWDT)