Although people have been taking a stand for what was right throughout history all around the world, none have affected the area of Southern Colorado as much as the events that took place at the Ludlow Mine Camp. Driven to stand against the rich mine owners, a small group fought and died for labor rights that are still in place an impacting workers today. While rich businessmen put the value of a load of coal or even a mule over that of a working man, the events that would come to be known as the Ludlow Massacre show how a small group can make a lasting change by standing up for what they believe.
In the early 1900’s coal was a very important resource and was used for almost everything. Coal was used to power railroads that joined the East and West Coasts. It was used to heat businesses and homes. It was used as the dominant power source, from the early 1800’s to the late 1940’s. It was the largest source of energy. Coal was such a major resource it over took wood as the primary source of fuel. During the year of 1889, the coal production in Colorado alone was 2,544 tons. During 1910, Colorado had about 15,864 people employed in the coal mining industry, and ten percent were employed from the state.
Work as a miner was not easy. They had to get so much done just to make a little amount of money. If they had even a little amount of rocks mixed in with the coal they were paid less, even though they still threw it in with the coal. They only got paid for a load of coal. Each miner had to drill holes through the ground and dynamite was placed into each hole. Then had to remove all of the rubble and make sure it wasn’t mixed in with the coal. The deeper they went the miners began to cut logs and build supporters in the mine to prevent it from caving.
Once the coal was loaded it was weighed and that determined how much money they would receive. Each miner had to work for seven days a week with very little amounts of break. The companies the miners worked for, controlled a lot of what they could do. They lived in company homes that were surrounded by barbed wire. The company provided literature to the miners, approved what kind of movies could be shown, and everybody had to shop at the companies store. Often store workers would sell goods at a higher rate. The CF&l steel company had the largest amount of miners employed and the most amount of land owners.
Rockefellers had their own CF&l, but the immigrants could not unite or unionize because of the different languages that were spoke. The steam ships that were also ran by coal were used to pick up not only coal but immigrants that would end up working the mines. Working the mines was not an easy job and it was certainly not very safe for the miners. They were exposed to an unlimited amount of methane, black lung, and had to watch out for any explosives that were lying around. Methane is an odorless flammable gas that is the main constituent of natural gas.
They were forced to work overtime and weren’t allowed a lot of sleep. Some women and children were allowed to work the mines, but males were more valuable, even though men died regularly. Though many of the minors were unhappy with working conditions in the mining camps, most kept their complaints to themselves. As happens in most industries, technologies are developed to make things easier and more efficient. Money was the main reason for improvements in the mine and the safety and concerns of miners were less important.
The miners had begun to lose there jobs because of the mechanization. They no longer needed to have people digging for coal because the machines did all the work for them. These machines had taken over the industry. Because the machines could produce more coal in a shorter time, the amount of money paid per ton of coal dropped. The quality of life of the minors and their families dropped as well. The majority of the miners jobs had been taken and others had quit because of the reduced pay. In the months that followed, over 1,200 miners that went on strike including there families.
Men, women, and children stood together in protest. The United Mine Worker of America was formed and the miners began to stand up as a group. They demanded that their union be recognized. Their demands were narrowed down to seven. First, they demanded recognition of the union. Second they had a ten percent increase in wages. Third, was that they each had to work eight hour days. Fourth, was that instead of getting paid for what they brought they’d get paid for just getting the load ready. Fifth, they would elect people to check the weight of the bags.
Sixth, is the right to trade in any store, board anyway, and hire the services of any doctor. Seven, the enforcement of Colorado mining laws and abolition of armed mine guards. When the strike first began on September 23, it was a rainy day, many of the miners that walked out had been drenched because of all the rain. Throughout the state of Colorado, over 12,000 miners began doing the strike. The strike which went on for over a year, had a lasting effect. Miners only produced about twenty-nine percent of the coal that they had when the miners were at work.
Many mines closed down and others produced only small amounts of coal. Life for those on strike was not easy. Since their homes were owned by the mining companies, they became homeless. They had no money to provide to their families even if they had money they would not be able to buy food at the companies stores. Many of the miners lived in tent camps with little or no food. Some set up furniture in the fields. Those that wanted to move their belongings from the camp home were not allowed to and their belongings were either thrown out or sold.
Those that couldn’t handle life in the tent camps moved to nearby communities. Tensions between the miners began to rise. The miners that refused to strike, or had returned to work, were threatened and attacked by the people running mines. Gun battles between the two groups also occurred. Those that were striking, called the others “scabs” and were unhappy that they were not a part of the strike. These attacks lead to increased numbers of law enforcement officers on duty. The mine companies also provided guards to the workers.
In near by communities like Walsenburg, Colorado, sheriff’s deputies joined with mine company guards to battle groups of striking minors. After a fierce gun battle, which both sides blamed each other for starting, a line was drawn. The striking miners on one side, and law enforcement teamed up with company guards on the other. A sheriff from a neighboring county even brought more deputies, mine guards, and mine owned weapons, making the miners believe that the government was on the side of the mine and didn’t care about their concerns. The events that would follow would add to this belief.
After the gun battles between the strikers and company guards, the governor of Colorado sent in the National Guard to keep the peace. From October 28, 1913 when Colorado Governor Ammonds chose to involve the National Guard until March 28, 1914 when the majority of the National Guard was pulled out, the situation was mostly under control. Those National Guard troops that were left behind were many of the same men that were from local law enforcement agencies and company guards that had been involved in the same conflicts that had lead to the National Guard being called up in the first place.
On April 20, 1914, Louis Tikas, the leader of the Striking miners at Ludlow, left the tent camp to speak to National Guard leaders to resolve a problem. While he was away, guards began to put guns in position around the tent village. When Tikas returned he had seen the guns in place he moved his men to the side of the gun positions and the battle began. By the end of the day, as many as 20 people were dead. Not only was Tikas shot to death, and left on display, several women and children were killed.
Four women and eleven children were killed when they were hiding in an underground room underneath their burning tent. The lives of these innocent women and children brought national attention to the issue. When little was done following the “Ludlow Massacre” as it would be called, miners throughout the region attacked and destroyed mine property. The battle between the unionized minors and the mine company was finally ended when President Woodrow Wilson sent in Federal troops to disarm both sides. As a result of the Ludlow Massacre, a congressional investigation was held.
The investigators put most of the blame on John D. Rockefeller Jr. , the owner of CF and I and the mines. Although many people died in the fight, and for standing up for their rights, changes were made. The minor’s demands were not met, and most of them were just replaced with new workers, but the stand they made still had a lasting impact. Some of the benefits that are still in place today include 8 hour work days, child labor laws, and the right to unionize and select representation. Safety in the work place is now a major concern for all major employers.