Prior to its development as an American trading post and city, the Pueblo area was frequented by Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Pawnee, and Ute people. Trade with Mexico made Pueblo a hub of economic activity, best symbolized by the establishment of the El Pueblo Colorado trading post in 1842. In the 1870s, Pueblo slowly industrialized with the introduction of the railroad, which was used to transport raw materials that would eventually contribute to its rapid industrialization. 
The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company and the Pueblo Army Depot were the two largest employers in Pueblo, Colorado. Each company brought immigrants from around the globe to Pueblo. However, due to changes in the steel industry resulting from the global economy and the downsizing of the Union Depot, these two titans would no longer be the core of Colorado’s economy. 


The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) was the only steel maker west of the Mississippi River and controlled a multitude of coal mines in southern Colorado. The CF&I operated in Pueblo, Colorado, and became a primary employer in the area. Pueblo’s steel production earned it the title of the “Pittsburg of the West.” 
The CF&I would be a substantial part of Pueblo’s economy up until the crash of the American steel market during the 1980s. Due to foreign competition and labor costs, the CF&I declared bankruptcy in the 1990s and was purchased by Oregon Steel which Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel Mill now owns.


Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, Pueblo

The Pueblo Ordinance Depot began operations in 1942. The depot’s purpose was to store Army equipment as well as conventional and chemical munitions. The depot employed roughly 8000 workers at its peak and was the second-largest employer in Pueblo, Colorado, after the CF&I. In 1995 the Pueblo Army Depot was renamed the Pueblo Chemical Depot and repurposed itself to destroy chemical weapons. The depot would begin downsizing to remain cost-effective, causing it to have less of an economic impact in Pueblo.  

Army Depot

El Pueblo was built as a secondary trading post alongside the Arkansas River, seventy-seven miles north of Bent’s Fort. El Pueblo was alongside the Arkansas river because it allowed access to trading networks with Native Americans and Mexico. As time progressed and the gold rush became a primary reason for western migration, El Pueblo became a less prominent trading destination. Over the coming decades, settlers would begin constructing permanent settlements and building over what remained of the settlement. The new location became known as Pueblo, Colorado.

El Pueblo Trading Post

The flood of 1921 is an example of how torrential rains can cause the river to break its banks and flood cities. The flood of 1921 caused $25 million in damage and killed between 150-200 people. The devastation of the flood caused the U.S government to implement flood control methods, which led to the development of the Arkansas River Project. 

Standards for Pueblo Industrial Growth and Downsizing