I've been meaning to ask Professor Loomis if he has an opinion about the contents of the telegram from President Harding that Mother Jones claimed she held in her hand at her last speech at the Lens Creek encampment in Marmet. She told the assembled miners that the president had promised her that of the miners would disassemble, the administration would ban company police forces. She was called to prove her claim, refused, left West Virginia, and never returned. The Harding administration denied ever making such a promise.
About the question of why the events around the mine wars aren't better known, the history has been actively and aggressively covered up by the powers that be from the very first day. During the Paint Creek strike, when Mother Jones was arrested (trying to recruit the miners on Cabin Creek to join the strike? maybe, idr and I don't have time to go read stuff right now so also maybe not) then held in a house in Pratt, WV. That house was entered into the national register of historic places, then demolished within a year or so and you'll never convince me it wasn't to erase the history.
Also, too. If any of y'all want to come get a labor history tour, yr Granny will happily volunteer to be your guide, unless I don't like you, then you can go without me. The Mine Wars Museum is doing some great work so you should start with them.
There's a monument to Harding and his wife in Marion, Ohio, they're buried there side by side, I've seen it because my grandparents live there. That's one of the rare times Harding is near his wife.
Actually, Proffessor Loomis, it was the second time airplanes were used against civilians in the US; the first was a couple months earlier, the Tulsa Race Massacre.
Very few people have heard of The Lead Belt Riots, AKA as The Flat River Riots. The Lead Belt is composed of 12 counties in southeast Missouri where 70% of the world's lead was once mined. The Flat River ran through most of the lead belt and there was a small town named after it (now renamed Park Hills). My Grandpa became a miner in 1902 when he was 14 years old, and he was paid $1 a day until he was 16, when he was paid $2 a day. By 1917 he had reached the astonishing salary of $5 a day, at which point he could afford to get married.
He was exempt from the draft during WWI because lead mining was an essential industry. But the miners knew they were being exploited for national security interests so there was talk of a strike. The mine owners responded by sending in trainloads of Hungarian immigrants, referred to locally as "Hunkies," to replace the local miners. A riot broke out in July 1917, and over the next two days approximately 1,000 to 1,500 of the Hungarians, including their families, were forced into boxcars and driven from the area. Units of the Missouri National Guard and the U. S. Army moved in to establish order, and remained in place until the end of the war.
Nobody was killed, but many Hunkies were beaten up.
Forever after my Grandpa had nothing good to say about Hungarians, and he'd cuss up a storm and spit loudly into his spittoon if you mentioned that nationality. What he did not know is that his own great grandparents had emigrated from Hungary after the Revolution of 1848. He thought they were Germans because their last name got changed from Kálmán to Kellerman. I discovered this by searching Census records. I wish Grandpa was alive so I could tell him he's part Hungarian and watch him have a conniption fit.
Wow, talk about your co-inky dinks. I was just in Matewan yesterday (Monday). Stopped by during my motorcycle tour of the region. There’s a pretty good Mine Wars museum there but it was closed because- Monday. The town has revived a bit with the small amount of tourism they get. It’s also ground zero of the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud. I must have ridden through dozens of small, past their prime mining towns. Sadly, mining employment isn’t coming back due to dropping demand for coal and increased automation. Maybe Trump thinks they’ll hire a bunch of scrubbers to “clean the coal”?
Hilary had programs ready to pay for education for laid off coal workers. She wasn’t the first politician to offer and implement such programs. Many possible beneficiaries didn't accept the help.
Yeah, hard to wrap my head around it. Coal mining is a dirty, dangerous job. Even China is going all out for solar and wind power and away from coal. The day is not far off when we look at coal mining the way we look at horse drawn carriage manufacturing.
Not direct, but very relevant. I had to google that. “The IMPORTANCE of collective memory of activism” (my emphasis). How true, how true. Thanks for that. I’m checking it out.
Miner story is fascinating, and I agree the location should be a national park.
We learned about this in WV Studies in the 1980s. I wonder if they still teach all of this pro-labor propaganda?
I continue to learn so much from you Erik, thank you.
I've been meaning to ask Professor Loomis if he has an opinion about the contents of the telegram from President Harding that Mother Jones claimed she held in her hand at her last speech at the Lens Creek encampment in Marmet. She told the assembled miners that the president had promised her that of the miners would disassemble, the administration would ban company police forces. She was called to prove her claim, refused, left West Virginia, and never returned. The Harding administration denied ever making such a promise.
About the question of why the events around the mine wars aren't better known, the history has been actively and aggressively covered up by the powers that be from the very first day. During the Paint Creek strike, when Mother Jones was arrested (trying to recruit the miners on Cabin Creek to join the strike? maybe, idr and I don't have time to go read stuff right now so also maybe not) then held in a house in Pratt, WV. That house was entered into the national register of historic places, then demolished within a year or so and you'll never convince me it wasn't to erase the history.
Also, too. If any of y'all want to come get a labor history tour, yr Granny will happily volunteer to be your guide, unless I don't like you, then you can go without me. The Mine Wars Museum is doing some great work so you should start with them.
There's a monument to Harding and his wife in Marion, Ohio, they're buried there side by side, I've seen it because my grandparents live there. That's one of the rare times Harding is near his wife.
It’s so interesting how the coal miners have aligned in the past with the LGBTQ plus movement.
Actually, Proffessor Loomis, it was the second time airplanes were used against civilians in the US; the first was a couple months earlier, the Tulsa Race Massacre.
Some things never change
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/West_Virginia_the_same_old_line-up_blair_mountain_1921.png?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=original
Thanks, Prof. Loomis. Labor history just isn't taught in schools, so your posts are always eye-opening.
Very few people have heard of The Lead Belt Riots, AKA as The Flat River Riots. The Lead Belt is composed of 12 counties in southeast Missouri where 70% of the world's lead was once mined. The Flat River ran through most of the lead belt and there was a small town named after it (now renamed Park Hills). My Grandpa became a miner in 1902 when he was 14 years old, and he was paid $1 a day until he was 16, when he was paid $2 a day. By 1917 he had reached the astonishing salary of $5 a day, at which point he could afford to get married.
He was exempt from the draft during WWI because lead mining was an essential industry. But the miners knew they were being exploited for national security interests so there was talk of a strike. The mine owners responded by sending in trainloads of Hungarian immigrants, referred to locally as "Hunkies," to replace the local miners. A riot broke out in July 1917, and over the next two days approximately 1,000 to 1,500 of the Hungarians, including their families, were forced into boxcars and driven from the area. Units of the Missouri National Guard and the U. S. Army moved in to establish order, and remained in place until the end of the war.
Nobody was killed, but many Hunkies were beaten up.
https://stfrancois.mogenweb.org/riot_lb_rampage_btstar.html
Forever after my Grandpa had nothing good to say about Hungarians, and he'd cuss up a storm and spit loudly into his spittoon if you mentioned that nationality. What he did not know is that his own great grandparents had emigrated from Hungary after the Revolution of 1848. He thought they were Germans because their last name got changed from Kálmán to Kellerman. I discovered this by searching Census records. I wish Grandpa was alive so I could tell him he's part Hungarian and watch him have a conniption fit.
As always the powerful act to increase racial hatred and then hide behind the imported human ablative armour.
Wow, talk about your co-inky dinks. I was just in Matewan yesterday (Monday). Stopped by during my motorcycle tour of the region. There’s a pretty good Mine Wars museum there but it was closed because- Monday. The town has revived a bit with the small amount of tourism they get. It’s also ground zero of the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud. I must have ridden through dozens of small, past their prime mining towns. Sadly, mining employment isn’t coming back due to dropping demand for coal and increased automation. Maybe Trump thinks they’ll hire a bunch of scrubbers to “clean the coal”?
Just across the border is U.S. #23 in KY, near Pikeville, the other side of ground zero of the Hatfield / McCoy Feud.
Hilary had programs ready to pay for education for laid off coal workers. She wasn’t the first politician to offer and implement such programs. Many possible beneficiaries didn't accept the help.
Yeah, hard to wrap my head around it. Coal mining is a dirty, dangerous job. Even China is going all out for solar and wind power and away from coal. The day is not far off when we look at coal mining the way we look at horse drawn carriage manufacturing.
Another one of the good ones: José Andrés on getting an award in Ukraine and saying no, it's all the helpers that deserve it
https://mailchi.mp/worldcentralkitchen/ukr-campaign-email-2-from-jose?e=cb89847d54
Thanks for that, hadn't heard about it yet.
Heysoooos H Keeerist! What happened? Nowadays the coal country voters vote MAGA.
Y'know that cartoon where the rich guy has all but one cookie and he's telling the poor white guy that the poor black guy wants his cookie? That.
Also https://www.wonkette.com/p/the-time-10000-miners-went-to-war/comment/322504556?utm_source=activity_item — my grandparents grew up in the South during the Depression and they knew damn well what the cookie problem was.
Definitely
I recommend Gelderloos's They Will Beat The Memory Out of Us. Not a direct answer, but many principles apply
Not direct, but very relevant. I had to google that. “The IMPORTANCE of collective memory of activism” (my emphasis). How true, how true. Thanks for that. I’m checking it out.
wellllllll, an obvious toast will be part of today's announcement of yrrrr
smoking lamp
being lit (burn one for Dolly, Good Human, nao okay!)
You know, this is the kind of history that Trump and his maggots want to stamp out when they say they only want "positive" stories about America.
Exactly.
These workers were terribly exploited and I'm so glad that they stood up.
After the Gold Rush - Parton, Harris, Ronstadt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdtdVr_9PnM
Oh, Dolly. Thanks for being so strikingly relatable your whole life. Thanks for everything. RIP.
One of my favorite Dolly quotes: "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap!"