In the early days of its operation, the ironworks faced a formidable challenge. The severe drought during the summer of 1724 showed that the water supply in the factory pond was inadequate and precarious for iron factory purposes; thus, it was decided to build an additional dam further upstream the Iset River. The upstream dam served the needs of three hammer forging facilities, which were put into operation on November 19 in 1726. During the reign of Empress Elizabeth, the ironworks was put into private hands. Before the revolution its main owners were the Yakovlevs and the Stenbock-Fermors. Products of the ironworks were stamped with the maker’s mark "A. Ya. Siberia" depicting a sable and the initials of the owner – Alexei Yakovlev. Sheet iron bearing the A. Ya. Siberia mark was highly valued and gained great popularity in England, France, Spain and other countries. “The iron is not only top-rated and unique, but also is superior in smoothness, quality, purity, neatness, lightness, and flexibility,” mining engineer Ivan German pointed out. The settlement around the Verkh-Isetsky Ironworks had everything to grow into a town: It was the centre of the large-scale ironmaking production enjoying international fame; its population was approaching 10 thousand people by the end of the XIXth century; it was a pet project of the prominent Ural architect Malakhov; it housed social care homes, community amenities and public parks, everything from an orphanage to a racetrack. However, the proximity of the large city predestined the future of the settlement, which became a district of Ekaterinburg (then Sverdlovsk) in 1927. The Verkh-Isetsky Ironworks is still operating.