Small steel in a big war

Abstract

"Small Steel in a Big War," was written to compare the Second World War experience of Pueblo and Colorado Fuel and Iron with that of the rest of the nation. The purpose in doing so was to find out what was unique about Southern Colorado's history during the conflict, and to see how national trends impacted its residents. Most of the information for this paper was drawn from the primary sources in the C.F. and I. archives of the Bessemer Historical Society, and from the Pueblo Chieftain collections of the Pueblo Library's Rawlings Branch. Several secondary sources have been used as well, particularly steel industry and gender studies. Evaluation of these sources makes it clear that C.F. and I. was a fairly small company that had high hopes, but lacked the money or influence to achieve its postwar goals. The Second World War economically revived the company from its near-collapse during the Great Depression, but did not revolutionize it or Pueblo. The cultural effects of the conflict were similarily limited, with one of the two major changes being that the company was able to keep its employees working instead of striking for better conditions. Gender concepts also underwent very little change at C.F. and I. and Pueblo. The national battle over gender roles, discussed by authors like Matthew L. Basso, did not have a measureable impact on either city or company. "Small Steel in a Big War," shows that cultural and economic change are not only limited by local circumstances, but it also discusses what limited them. Local men and C.F. and I.'s management constricted women's wartime roles and power, whereas steel corporations across the nation blocked the company's growth. Ultimately, C.G. and I. as well as Pueblo illustrate that national narratives of change inspired by the Second World War do not apply evenly across the United States.