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by Ric Dias (Author)
The steel facility that helped advance the modern American West.
Through his record-busting construction career, Henry J. Kaiser continuously pulled off the impossible. When he announced his plans to enter the wartime shipbuilding business and to mass-produce steel in the small, agricultural town of Fontana, experts were shocked, but his determination made him a national figure. "Miracle Man Kaiser" built a steel plant in record time, and it churned out over a million tons of the invaluable metal for the 1940s war effort. In an industry rocked by disharmony, his company adopted the slogan 'Together We Build', and his skill in navigating labor relations made it a powerhouse.
Join author and historian Ric A. Dias as he highlights the successes, failures, and limits of this trailblazer's dreams.
Author Biography
Ric Dias was born and raised in Northern California. He attended graduate school at the University of California-Riverside and there became familiar with the Kaiser Steel story. He received a PhD in history in 1995 and since then has been a professor of history at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He has written several articles on Kaiser Steel, as well as a book and articles on California engine maker Hall-Scott, and he owns a 1951 Kaiser automobile.
