Colorado Fuel and Iron
Encyclopedia
The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) was a large steel concern. By 1903, it was largely owned and controlled by John D. Rockefeller
and Jay Gould
's financial heirs. While it came to control many plants throughout the country, its main plant was a steel mill
on the south side of Pueblo, Colorado
and was the city's main industry for most of its history. From 1901 to 1912, Colorado Fuel and Iron was one of the Dow Jones Industrials. The steel-market crash of 1982 lead to the decline of the company. After going through several bankruptcies
, the company was acquired by Oregon Steel Mills and recently changed its name to Rocky Mountain Steel Mills. In January 2007, along with the rest of Oregon Steel's holdings, was acquired by Evraz Group SA
, a Russia
n steel corporation, for $2.3 billion.
's Colorado Coal and Iron Company
created the Bessemer steel plant in the 1880s. John Cleveland Osgood founded Colorado Fuel Company in 1883. These two companies merged in 1892 to form Colorado Fuel and Iron.
The facility operated a number of blast furnace
s until 1982. The main blast furnace structures were torn down in 1989, but due to asbestos
content, many of the adjacent stoves and support buildings still remain. The stoves and foundations for some of the furnaces can be easily seen from Interstate 25
, which runs parallel to the plant's west boundary.
, the company came to own more than just the main steel plant. Over the course of a century, CF&I operated coal mines throughout southern Colorado, as well as iron mines in Wyoming
and Utah
, limestone
quarries, smaller mines for other materials going into the steel making process, and the Colorado and Wyoming Railway
. The Colorado Supply company store was also owned and operated by CF&I. They also came to control many furnaces throughout the country including E.G. Brooke in Birdsboro, PA.
at the Ludlow Depot, a stop on the Colorado and Southern Railroad which was near several coal mines, in 1914. Evidence from CF&I's archives reveals that the company infiltrated, propagandized against, and attempted to disrupt the Industrial Workers of the World
, who had called a statewide coal strike, which resulted in another massacre of striking coal miners
in 1927.
In 1997, the steelworkers union in Pueblo voted to strike
over alleged unfair labor practice
s. The old CF&I facility, under new ownership, hired permanent replacement worker
s, leading to further tension between the new employer and the union.
However in September 2004, local unions 2102 and 3267 won both the strike and the unfair labor practice charges. All of the striking steel workers were returned to their jobs, and the company was forced to repay a record amount of back pay to all of the striking steel workers for the 7 years of the strike. Some have called this a significant win for labor and the many families affected by the seven-year strike.
Several of the administration buildings, including the main office building, dispensary, and tunnel gatehouse have been purchased by the Bessemer Historical Society
to house their Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture
and the CF&I Archives.
Out of the many production and fabrication mills which once existed on the site, only the steel production (electric furnace
s, used for scrap recycling
), rail, rod & bar, and seamless tube mills are still in operation. The wire mill was sold in the late 1990s to Davis Wire, which still runs it and produces products such as fence and nails under the CF&I brand name. In the fall of 2006, expansion plans for the rail mill were announced. Once completed, the mill will be able to produce rail lengths of up to 480 feet (up from the current 80 feet), lengths currently possible only in a few European plants.
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
and Jay Gould
Jay Gould
Jason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
's financial heirs. While it came to control many plants throughout the country, its main plant was a steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
on the south side of Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
and was the city's main industry for most of its history. From 1901 to 1912, Colorado Fuel and Iron was one of the Dow Jones Industrials. The steel-market crash of 1982 lead to the decline of the company. After going through several bankruptcies
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, the company was acquired by Oregon Steel Mills and recently changed its name to Rocky Mountain Steel Mills. In January 2007, along with the rest of Oregon Steel's holdings, was acquired by Evraz Group SA
Evraz Group
Evraz Group is one of the world's biggest vertically integrated steel production and mining businesses, with operations mainly in Russia. In 2008, Evraz Group produced 17.7 million tonnes of crude steel.-Overview:...
, a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n steel corporation, for $2.3 billion.
History
Railroad magnate William Jackson PalmerWilliam Jackson Palmer
William Jackson Palmer was an American civil engineer, soldier, industrialist, and philanthropist.-Overview:...
's Colorado Coal and Iron Company
Colorado Coal and Iron Company
Colorado Coal and Iron Company was formed in 1880 when three Denver and Rio Grande subsidiaries controlled by William J. Palmer merged. These were the Colorado Coal and Steel Works Company, the Central Colorado Improvement Company, and the Southern Colorado Coal and Town Company...
created the Bessemer steel plant in the 1880s. John Cleveland Osgood founded Colorado Fuel Company in 1883. These two companies merged in 1892 to form Colorado Fuel and Iron.
The facility operated a number of blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
s until 1982. The main blast furnace structures were torn down in 1989, but due to asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
content, many of the adjacent stoves and support buildings still remain. The stoves and foundations for some of the furnaces can be easily seen from Interstate 25
Interstate 25
Interstate 25 is an Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway. I-25 stretches from Interstate 10 at Las Cruces, New Mexico, , to Interstate 90 in Buffalo, Wyoming, .Interstate 25 is the main north–south expressway through...
, which runs parallel to the plant's west boundary.
Other holdings
Through the process of vertical integrationVertical integration
In microeconomics and management, the term vertical integration describes a style of management control. Vertically integrated companies in a supply chain are united through a common owner. Usually each member of the supply chain produces a different product or service, and the products combine to...
, the company came to own more than just the main steel plant. Over the course of a century, CF&I operated coal mines throughout southern Colorado, as well as iron mines in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarries, smaller mines for other materials going into the steel making process, and the Colorado and Wyoming Railway
Colorado and Wyoming Railway
Originally founded in 1899, the Colorado and Wyoming Railway is a subsidiary of the Oregon Steel Mills. It hauls coal, ore and steel products on about five miles of track inside Oregon Steel's Rocky Mountain Steel Mills facility in Pueblo, Colorado, and connects to the Union Pacific Railroad and...
. The Colorado Supply company store was also owned and operated by CF&I. They also came to control many furnaces throughout the country including E.G. Brooke in Birdsboro, PA.
Labor incidents
Over the course of its history, the company has had numerous major labor disputes. CF&I was accused of brutality against the UMWA in a strike called by that organization in 1903-04. The best known strike culminated in the infamous Ludlow MassacreLudlow massacre
The Ludlow Massacre was an attack by the Colorado National Guard on a tent colony of 1,200 striking coal miners and their families at Ludlow, Colorado on April 20, 1914....
at the Ludlow Depot, a stop on the Colorado and Southern Railroad which was near several coal mines, in 1914. Evidence from CF&I's archives reveals that the company infiltrated, propagandized against, and attempted to disrupt the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
, who had called a statewide coal strike, which resulted in another massacre of striking coal miners
Columbine Mine massacre
The first Columbine Massacre, sometimes called the Columbine Mine massacre to distinguish it from the Columbine High School massacre, occurred in 1927, in the town of Serene, Colorado. A fight broke out between Colorado state police and a group of striking coal miners, during which the unarmed...
in 1927.
In 1997, the steelworkers union in Pueblo voted to strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
over alleged unfair labor practice
Unfair labor practice
In United States labor law, the term unfair labor practice refers to certain actions taken by employers or unions that violate the National Labor Relations Act and other legislation...
s. The old CF&I facility, under new ownership, hired permanent replacement worker
Replacement worker
Replacement worker is a term that refers to persons employed to replace workers who are on strike, recently sacked or otherwise lost. For possible uses of this term see:* Strike action* Lockout * H-1B visa* L-1 visa* Outsourcing* Strikebreaker...
s, leading to further tension between the new employer and the union.
However in September 2004, local unions 2102 and 3267 won both the strike and the unfair labor practice charges. All of the striking steel workers were returned to their jobs, and the company was forced to repay a record amount of back pay to all of the striking steel workers for the 7 years of the strike. Some have called this a significant win for labor and the many families affected by the seven-year strike.
The site today
In addition to the blast furnace/open hearth steelmaking process, CF&I also used the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) process for a number of years. This process was later replaced by electric arc furnaces (EAF). Currently, two EAFs are used at the facility to convert scrap to steel billets of various sizes. The billets are then distributed to the three steel finishing facilities (rail mill, rod & bar mill, seamless tube mill) for processing into the various finished products.Several of the administration buildings, including the main office building, dispensary, and tunnel gatehouse have been purchased by the Bessemer Historical Society
Bessemer Historical Society
The Bessemer Historical Society in Pueblo, Colorado operates the Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture, site of the company archives for Colorado Fuel and Iron....
to house their Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture
Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture
The Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture is located in Pueblo, Colorado. Operated by the Bessemer Historical Society, the museum is in the historic Minnequa Steel Works Office Building and Dispensary of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company....
and the CF&I Archives.
Out of the many production and fabrication mills which once existed on the site, only the steel production (electric furnace
Furnace
A furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven.In American English and Canadian English, the term furnace on its own is generally used to describe household heating systems based on a central furnace , and sometimes as a synonym for kiln, a device used in the...
s, used for scrap recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
), rail, rod & bar, and seamless tube mills are still in operation. The wire mill was sold in the late 1990s to Davis Wire, which still runs it and produces products such as fence and nails under the CF&I brand name. In the fall of 2006, expansion plans for the rail mill were announced. Once completed, the mill will be able to produce rail lengths of up to 480 feet (up from the current 80 feet), lengths currently possible only in a few European plants.
External links
- Bessemer Historical Society
- Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture
- http://www.osm.com/LocationsFacilities/RockyMountainSteelMills/tabid/71/Default.aspx