Many consumer products and car parts are made from aluminum, but did you know that the aluminum industry was born in Lockport.

In 1885 Charles Martin Hall invented the electrolyte process of recovering aluminum from refined metal ores. In 1887 he met the Cowles brothers of Lockport who invested in his invention. The Cowles brothers had just invented an electric furnace for smelting. Hall used this furnace for his experiments. By July of 1888 he had perfected his process of smelting. Halls new process dropped the price of aluminum from $15 to $3 dollars per pound.

Unfortunately the Cowles did not want to associate any further with Hall. Hall moved to Pennsylvania where he worked for the Pittsburg Reducing Co. This company is today known as The Aluminum Company Of America and is a multibillion dollar corporation.

Even though the aluminum industry was officialy born in Lockport, both the Cowles brothers and Lockportians missed out on prosperity of this industry.