At the confluence of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek, Native Americans were the first to inhabit Pueblo and its surroundings. Pueblo means "e;village"e; in Spanish, appropriate for an area that was settled in the early 1800s by people from present-day New Mexico with Spanish and Native American roots. A trading post established in 1842 was named "e;El Pueblo."e; The gold rush of 1858 attracted the first influx of people who saw more opportunity in Pueblo than in the goldfields. With its vision to become a great city with railroads, a steel mill, and smelters, Pueblo was soon known as the "e;Pittsburgh of the West."e; Employment and business opportunities invited emigrants from all over the world, creating a diverse city populated with people of many ethnicities. Pueblo has persevered through natural disasters and economic turmoil, building a thriving and resilient community through each chapter of its history.