Northeastern Colorado has quite a few sugar mills, and a few of them are abandoned. The White Satin plant in Loveland, Colorado was the first one I've checked out. I didn't manage to get inside any of the large buildings because they were sealed up pretty tight. Not to mention, there was a lot of activity in the area and "No Trespassing" was spraypainted all over the place, so I decided not to risk it. I did get inside two tiny buildings and walked through the giant shell of a structure.
Sugar beets grow well in temperate climates, and are able to grow in 12 of the 50 states. The industry was supported by government subsidies and tariffs, but beet sugar became less profitable in the 70s, leading to the closure of many sugar mills. Competition from cane sugar (which is allegedly superior for baking), increased use of artificial sweeteners and fructose, and the expiration of the tariffs and quotas were too much for the beet sugar industry to handle.
http://www.placesthatwere.com/2016/01/abandoned-buildings-colorado-amalgamated-sugar.html
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Behind the shell of a building is a little railway depot where freight trains were loaded up with sugary goodness.
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The bridge contained a conveyor belt for moving sugar from the storage building to the processing plant.
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Sugar beets grow well in temperate climates, and are able to grow in 12 of the 50 states. The industry was supported by government subsidies and tariffs, but beet sugar became less profitable in the 70s, leading to the closure of many sugar mills. Competition from cane sugar (which is allegedly superior for baking), increased use of artificial sweeteners and fructose, and the expiration of the tariffs and quotas were too much for the beet sugar industry to handle.
http://www.placesthatwere.com/2016/01/abandoned-buildings-colorado-amalgamated-sugar.html
View attachment 669007
View attachment 669008
Behind the shell of a building is a little railway depot where freight trains were loaded up with sugary goodness.
View attachment 669009
View attachment 669010
The bridge contained a conveyor belt for moving sugar from the storage building to the processing plant.
View attachment 669012
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View attachment 669014