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appalachiablue

(43,138 posts)
13. Documentary: Ludlow, Colorado Coal Miner Strike & Massacre 1913-1914: Rocky Mountain PBS
Fri Nov 26, 2021, 03:25 PM
Nov 2021

Last edited Fri Nov 26, 2021, 04:46 PM - Edit history (2)



- Rocky Mountain PBS. A very informative film on the subject well worth watching. (2013).

One of the most significant events in the struggle for labor laws in America played out in Las Animas County in the spring of 1914. With the control of much of Colorado's coal mines in the hands of just a few companies, miners grew increasingly intolerant of low wages and dangerous working conditions.

Despite efforts to suppress union activity, the United Mine Workers of America called a strike in September of 1913. Over the next few months, tensions escalated as the striking miners ransacked several mines. The dispute ultimately culminated in a violent clash on April 20, 1914. Despite this tragic outcome, the event sparked national outrage and led the way for workers' rights in America.
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- Ludlow was the most violent labor dispute in the US to occur after 50 years of mounting worker grievances and tension.

The conflict was brought on by brutal labor conditions and the exploitation of coal mine workers, many of whom were immigrants of different backgrounds and languages. Company towns and housing were controlled by the mine owners in every sense. Paternalism.

During the strike, miners that went on strike were evicted from their company houses and moved to Tent Colonies set up by the UMWA to provide shelter from growing harassment. People living in the tents struggled to get by during the harsh winter conditions. Labor activist Mother Jones (Mary Harris) visited the area to try to rally the miners, especially the wives.

Private detectives hired by the coal companies and mercenary soldiers were employed as well as the National Guard called in by the Colorado governor. Almost a year after the battle and bloody massacre of people in below- ground tent cellars, owner John D. Rockefeller, Jr. came to the site to try to appear to calm the crisis and chaos.



- John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (Standard Oil Co./Exxon) was widely blamed for having orchestrated the Ludlow Massacre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller_Jr.



- A postcard depicting the Tent Colony at Ludlow in 1914.

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