3D ultrasound Steger

The village of Steger, IL, "Where progress is a fact, not a promise," is a southeast suburb of Chicago, lies about 35 miles south of Chicago, and lies along the dividing line between Cook County and Will County. It has a population of 9,682 people as of the 2000 Census and estimated to be a little over 10,000 people today.

In 1893, John Valentine Steger opened a piano factory on 20 acres of land alongside the railroad. The railroad town also boasted a second factory, a general store, a post office, and a burgeoning housing stock. With 324 residents, the village incorporated in 1896. John Steger agreed to pay $400 toward election and incorporation costs if the name of the town was renamed to Steger rather than the original name of Columbia Heights. $400 at that time was actually a lot of money in 1896 - the money would be worth about $10,458 today, or about ten pianos. Steger won the bid and the election and the town was hereby known as Steger, IL, and Steger served two terms as village president.

John Steger oversaw the development of a volunteer fire department, water and sewer facilities, and, in a remarkable understanding of the need for the conservation of energy, he created a unique system of underground pipes which provided steam heat for the homes of local residents which originated from the heating plant of the piano factories!

John Steger also recruited German craftsmen, developed assembly-line manufacturing of pianos, thus allowing pianos to be made cheaply enough that they could be bought by everyday middle-class people, and he designed special railcars for shipping them. By 1920, Steger was the "piano capital of the world” producing more than a hundred pianos a day. Phonographs were also manufactured in Steger, IL.

After Steger's death in 1916, the factories continued until closing in 1926. However, the remarkable collection of buildings continued to be a key employment center. In 1930, a macaroni factory started in one of the old buildings, and several years later local craftsmen joined together to manufacture radio cabinets in another building. By the end of the 20th century, a small strip mall, a large Kmart, and a huge asphalt parking lot covered the site.

John Steger engaged with the industrial leaders of Chicago, joining the Union League Club and serving on bank boards. In 1910, the Steger Building was completed at the corner of Jackson and Wabash in Chicago as his administrative and piano display center, located in what was called "Piano Row." Designed by Benjamin Howard Marshall, this 19-story structure still stands, and you can still see the name Steger displayed above the entrance on Jackson Boulevard.

The "Steger Idea" as it was called in piano advertising for the Steger company, was "to bring to the American Home a piano of excellence and offer it at the fairest possible price." The Steger Idea is remarkably similar to the mission of First Peek Ultrasound, which also strives to bring something that has traditionally been considered to be an unaffordable luxury - in this case, 3D ultrasounds - to everyday Americans in the Chicago area at the fairest possible price while also striving to maintain the same standard of excellence.

Steger, IL, has been a regular stop on the annual Driving The Dixie event since its inception. This event involves participants driving down Historic Dixie Highway in the Chicago Southland and visiting various communities along the way, starting at Blue Island, IL, and ending at Momence, IL. Participants drive their own cars, and many of these cars are antiques, thus making the event a historical tour for the participating travelers and an antique car show for the residents of the towns that are stops along the drive. When the Dixie Highway was completed in 1921, it was the longest continuous paved road in the state of Illinois.

The Driving the Dixie event has resulted in a growing awareness of local and Illinois history and has resulted in:
An Illinois State historical marker for Hubbard's Trail was restored and rededicated in Momence, IL. New historical societies have started. An Illinois Main Street town was created in Momence. Downtown Momence has been named a National Historic District. Visitors' bureaus have featured the drive extensively. Lt. Governor Pat Quinn kicked off the start of the event. Several other state legislators have participated. The Dixie Highway was featured in a WTTW Channel 11 documentary.

The next Driving the Dixie event is scheduled to be on Saturday, June 18, 2011.