Bessemer in Pueblo in Pueblo County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
10 Ton Ladle
| — | Steelworks Center of the West | — |
Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 11, 2025
1. 10 Ton Ladle Marker
In steelmaking, a ladle is a large vessel made of steel and cast iron framing lined with fire brick. In the first method for mass-producing steel, newly cast pig iron created in the open-hearth furnace was poured into the ladle. The bottom of the ladle contained a two-inch tap hole, into which a plug of clay was inserted to prevent the steel from leaking out. When the time arrived for shaping the steel into usable forms, the plug was removed, and the molten steel flowed out of the hole into a mold. Workers responsible for removing the plug would raise and lower a crook-shaped tool over the side of the ladle to remove the plug. Molten steel would flow into waiting molds below. Beginning in the 1970s, the steel would flow into a continuous casting machine rather than individual molds. This ladle could hold 10 tons of molten steel.
Molds were empty shells of cast iron 18 inches by 20 inches by 72 inches. After the molds were filled and cooled slightly, they were hauled by an engine to a stripper building. There, a machine removed the mold from the top leaving a block of steel known as an ingot. The ingots
this page online
Photo descriptions:
Top: Ladle pouring molten steel into a mold, 1928.
Bottom: Pouring hot recarburizer into a steel ladle, 1919.
Funded in part by the Historic Preservation Fund, National Park Service, Department of Interior and the History Colorado State Historical Fund
Erected by Steelworks Center of the West.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1928.
Location. 38° 14.297′ N, 104° 36.744′ W. Marker is in Pueblo, Colorado, in Pueblo County. It is in Bessemer. It can be reached from Baystate Avenue east of East Abriendo Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Located behind the Steelworks Center of the West Museum in the Steelworks Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 215 Canal St, Pueblo CO 81004, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s Arkansas River Valley and in the Front Range. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America,
Photographed by Mark Hilton, August 11, 2025
2. 10 Ton Ladle & marker
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ore Carts (a few steps from this marker); Site of YMCA #2 (within shouting distance of this marker); The Colorado Fuel & Iron Company (within shouting distance of this marker); Rail Manufacturing (within shouting distance of this marker); 1950s Allen Mine (within shouting distance of this marker); Karymor (within shouting distance of this marker); 130 Ton Ladle (within shouting distance of this marker); The Mormon Battalion (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pueblo.
Also see . . . Steelworks Park. (Submitted on August 13, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 106 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 13, 2025, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
