
Steel City: 1980-2004
Steel City: 1980-2004 is an exhibit first and foremost about Pueblo, and its community. The Bessemer Steel Mill has over the last 140 years touched the lives of almost every Puebloan, and the economic hardships and labor conflicts that began in the 1980s struck their community hard. Steel City shows how Puebloans banded together to support each other through these difficult times, showing perseverance and solidarity through bankruptcy, labor disputes, and a historic seven year strike.
Featured in this exhibit are oral histories from steelworkers, their families, and their neighbors, as well as photographs, videos, and artifacts from the period. Through all of these items, visitors can explore the courage and commitment of Pueblo and its steelworkers.
The Steel City Exhibit has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom and further support from the Southern Colorado Labor Council, United Steelworkers District 12, Robert Hoag Rawlings Foundation, Colorado WINS, and the City of Pueblo.