Article and photos by Barbara Oliver
It is said that the history of migration to the American West is in many ways the history of the CF&I.
Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) was the first integrated steel mill west of the Mississippi River, beginning with the development of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in 1872 and the first steel production in 1880. In those early days of steelmaking, a key ingredient was the steady source of iron ore.
At one time CF&I was the largest private landowner and the largest employer in Colorado. CF&I mines, and mining towns operated throughout the West, and the firm owned subsidiary companies stretching from Massachusetts to California. It attracted immigrants from around the world to work in its mill and mines. It was reported that 42 languages were spoken in both places.
The Steelworks Museum, housed in the former CF&I Medical Dispensary built in 1901, was opened in 2007 and serves as the interpretive center for CF&I history. Following the timeline, we learned how extraction from open pit mining was done mainly by steam shovels, but then as new technology became available, it shifted to underground extraction. When electricity was made available to power machinery, iron extraction skyrocketed. When the steelmaking process shifted from raw material to recycling of scrap steel, less iron ore was necessary.
Outdoors, in the north parking lot adjacent to I-25, just across the highway from the steel mill, is the Steelworks Park which was completed in November 2018. As you follow the sidewalk, interpretative signs talk about the exhibits, which are industrial artifacts from the steel mill. Also on display is the mine rescue car number 1, which was voted one of Colorado’s top 10 most significant artifacts in 2014.
The Steelworks Museum offers a one-of-a-kind resource and educational experience not only for the public, but for students and teachers. Also the Steelworks Center of the West was established in 2014 to integrate all of the museum, archives and education programs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 719-564-9086 Hours: 10am - 3pm Tuesday through Saturday. Admission: $8 per adult, $4 per child
Members of Steelworks Center are free.
215 Canal Street
Pueblo, CO 81002
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