It is amazing how quickly we lose the memory of the huge old factories that once powered America through peacetime, and then when war came, helped defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Few people probably know the LeTourneau name anymore, despite it once being one of the largest producers of machinery in the world.

Located along the banks of Lake Peoria, it is now owned by Komatsu, and much of its giant works has been demolished.

But the neighborhood that once provided housing for thousands of its workers still stands, and I’ve looked at it before over the years, including in July of 2021, September of 2013, September of 2015 and August of 2019.