Post by Doris McCraw writing as Angela Raines
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| Goldmine headframe in Victor Photo property of the author |
Since my monthly post falls close to the Labor Day holiday, I thought I'd take this opportunity to speak about the women who were involved in some of the "Labor Wars" that took place in Colorado. I will be addressing the 1904 Cripple Creek strike and the 1914 Ludlow Massacre.
In 1903-04 the Cripple Creek/Victor miners and their union decided to strike in support of the workers at the ore processing plant in Colorado Springs. This was one in a series of strikes the Western Federation on Miners conducted since winning their fight for shorter days and a pay increase. In the Cripple Creek area, the union men were incarcerated in what was called the bullpen, an outdoor holding facility. Many faced deportations. The newspaper in Victor, 'The Victor Daily Record' was a pro-union publication. The publisher/editor was arrested by the national guard and placed in the bullpen. When Emma F. Langdon heard of the raid, she went to the paper around midnight, barred the doors, and set about putting out the next issue of the paper.
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| from Wikipedia |
In here 1908 book, "Labor's Greatest Conflicts", she talks of taking the paper up to the men in the bullpen and overhearing the guards talking about shutting down the paper only to be surprised at seeing the latest issue. Emma went on to spend her years after this strike writing and speaking on behalf of the miners and the Western Federation of Miners. A search in Google Books on Emma F. Langdon is well worth the effort to wade through. For an overview of Emma: Emma F. Langdon- Wikipedia
The second woman is Mary G. Harris Jones, known to most as Mother Jones. She was associated with organizing the coal miners in Colorado against the Rockefeller owned Colorado Fuel and Iron. Although she was arrested and was spending time incarcerated during what is known as the Ludlow Massacre, she later met with Rockefeller and some indicate that after that meeting Rockefeller he visited the mines and instituted reforms.
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| Mother Jones - 1902 from Wikipedia |
Prior to arriving in Colorado, Mother Jones had suffered the loss of her husband and four children to yellow fever. She had a dressmaking shop in Chicago and lost that during the Chicago Fire. From that point, she began working for the betterment of the working class, including children. Known as a person to be reckoned with, she spoke her mind and did what she had to do. Again a Google Book search on Jones also is worth the effort to study. For an overview of Mother Jones: Mother Jones, Wikipedia
For those who would like to know more about the strikes themselves, the following books may be of interest: "The Colorado Labor Wars: Cripple Creek 1903-1904" edited by Tim Blevins, and "Killing for Coal: America's Deadliest Labor War" by Thomas G. Andrews.
It is sometimes easy to forget how difficult life was back then, especially for the working class and their families. These two women stepped up and did what they thought was best, despite those who worked against them. To me, these women are a lesson in what one can accomplish when you set your mind to it.
Colorado and Women's History
