Pueblo, forged in steel
Pueblo was perfectly situated to make steel. There was easy access to ingredients: coal from southern Colorado, iron ore from central and western parts of the state, and water from the Arkansas River running right through town. Pueblo’s original steel mill was built in 1881, the first factory west of the Mississippi to produce rails at volume. That helped railroads like the Denver & Rio Grande expand, connect mining camps, and grow cities across Colorado. Steady work and good wages drew a large and diverse workforce from the South, and immigrants from Mexico, Italy and Slovenia — from just a few hundred, to twenty thousand at its peak. When the American steel industry collapsed in the 80s, Pueblo held on. Today, in stark contrast to its coal-fired past, the downsized mill runs mostly on a massive, on-site solar array. But it still rolls out rails and good-paying jobs.
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Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. See more postcards.
