Bessemer

Bessemer, Colorado was a city in Colorado that was incorporated in 1886. The community was named after Henry Bessemer, an English inventor. It was one of four adjacent towns settled after the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859. The communities of South Pueblo, Central Pueblo, Pueblo, and Bessemer were later merged to create the modern City of Pueblo, Colorado. Bessemer was an independent city until 1894 and was the last city to join Pueblo. The former community of Bessemer is sometimes now referred to as the Bessemer neighborhood. Its also known as the Bessemer area. The Bessemer area is home to both Bessemer Academy (an elementary school) and Ray Aguilera Park (Formerly known as Bessemer Park and Minnequa Park). Geography The plat for Bessemer was recorded on 20 August 1886 with the Pueblo County Clerk. The town was bounded to the east by the steel mill, to the west by Prairie and Western avenues (now Pueblo Boulevard), south by Aqua Avenue and what's now called Lake Minnequa, and north by South Pueblo and River Road. Pueblo City planner Wade Broadhead has stated what people call "Greater Bessemer" and what was studied by the Bessemer Neighborhood Context Survey is roughly bounded by South Pueblo to the north (What is now the neighborhood of Mesa Junction), Russ Avenue and the steel mill to the east, Reno Avenue in the south and Berkley Avenue to the west. Lake Minnequa and Minnequa Heights are both included.