Category: Pueblo Makes

Pueblo Makes supports all makers in Pueblo.

Tinkering in Pueblo

Jane Fraser

David Packard, one of the co-founders of Hewlett-Packard, was born in Pueblo and graduated from high school here. As a child, he experimented with rockets, and one exploded in the house, damaging his thumb. His mother returned home to find the front door open and a trail of blood.

This story was told in Pueblo by David Packard’s grandson, David Orr, on 21 June 2019 at the announcement of the $20 million Sperry S. and Ella Graber Packard Fund for Pueblo, named for David Packard’s parents, who lived almost their entire lives in Pueblo. David said that his grandfather showed him his damaged thumb while telling this story.

Tinkering has deep roots in Pueblo.

#PuebloMakes

Jane Fraser

I grew up in a paper mill town in New Jersey and after I came to Pueblo 20 years ago, it took me a while to figure out why I felt at home so quickly. I realized that Pueblo has the same ethnic blue collar diversity, the same friendly but tough welcome, and the same hands-on, “we can do this” attitude of my home town. Both towns are maker towns. Pueblo makes steel, but we also roast coffee, we design and make jewelry, we customize hot rods, and we paint murals. We have great manufacturing companies that make carbon disk brakes for aircraft, towers for wind turbines, traction chains, rail products, custom kitchen cabinet doors, fruit handling equipment, high end GPS devices, bath and body products, and more. I sew.

When you meet someone from Pueblo, ask them what they make.