Colorado Fuel and Iron (CF and I) was once one of the largest integrated steel mills in the country and were Pueblo’s primary industry, playing a prominent role both regionally and nationally. However, with a drastic decline in the American steel industry in the 1970s and 1980s, the mill was abandoned. Pueblo’s south side, formerly the company town of Bessemer, quickly declined. NDC’s investment provided the Bessemer Historical Society with financing to transform the historic mill into a museum to exhibit CF and Is archives. In addition to preserving the City’s past, they hope the new museum increases tourism in the area as part of Pueblo’s overall renewal strategy.