The Colorado Smelter Slag Pile

This pile of slag is what is left of the great Colorado Smelter. The Colorado Smelter was built in the 1800’s, and was a smelter site for a silver-lead ore. The owners of the Madonna Mine, located in the mountains in Monarch, Colorado, built the site to smelt the extracted silver-lead ore, in a cost-effective manner. 
From 1883 through 1908, The Colorado Smelter operated in south Pueblo, creating jobs and wealth for the business. The ore from the Madonna mine processed at the Colorado Smelter contained 30 percent lead by weight, and made great profit for the owners.  
 
Pueblo was once home to five ore smelters and the steel mill. It was through this industry that Pueblo was coined "The Steel City".  
 
To this day, the steel mill and industrial workforce is a major part of Pueblo and its residents.  
This smelter site, although very beneficial in the past, has also left a negative environmental impact on the community. In 2010, it was discovered that the old smelter site contained elevated lead and arsenic levels, and triggered an Environmental Protection Agency cleanup throughout the historic neighborhoods. This helped spark the revitalization of Bessemer, Bojon Town/Eiler’s Heights, and the Grove. 
 
Moving forward, the vision for this old smelter site is for it to become a neighborhood plaza where community members can go for gatherings, activities, and connection.