Ludlow Massacre Site Should Be a National Historic Landmark

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/01/27/ludlow-massacre-site-should-be-a-national-historic-landmark/

by Mike Hall, Jan 27, 2008

One of the bloodiest chapters in American labor history is the 1914 Ludlow Massacre, where 20 innocent men, women and children were murdered by thugs hired by a trio of coal companies. Colorado miners had been trying for years to organize with the Mine Workers (UMWA).



That southern Colorado site may soon become a National Historic Landmark. Last week, Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) said he plans to introduce legislation to give the tent-city massacre site Landmark status. As Salazar writes in a letter to the National Park Service:

The site of the 1914 Ludlow Massacre is central to our nation’s understanding and memory of the labor struggles of the early 20th century, to the region’s identity and to the descendents of all those involved in the 1913–1914 strike and other labor conflicts of the era. It is fully deserving of National Landmark status.

In 1917, the UMWA erected a monument at the site “in remembrance of the brave and innocent souls who died for freedom and human dignity.” But there has been no state or national commemoration of the site.

In 1913, southern Colorado miners and their families walked out of the mines and mining camps striking for adequate wages, enforcement of state mining laws and union recognition. For more than a year, they lived in tent colonies near the mines.

FULL story at link.

[originalpckelly]

1. You know what? My great grandfather was a leader of the UMW there.

When I moved a few years back, I literally found letters from Mother Jones and one from Sam Gompers. They didn't exactly make any sense, that lady didn't have the best of writing. We also found a commendation from the state of Colorado to my great grandfather.

In fact, if you don't believe me, just look up "Edward Doyle" +Jones in Google and you'll find a NY Times article from 1915 with my great grandfather's name in it. He was the secretary of the union there. You can read the article, although poorly formatted, from Google's cache:
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:1Qo56HqRBGEJ:query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html%3Fres%3DF00A14FB3E5C13738DDDA10A94D9405B858DF1D3+%22edward+doyle%22+%2Bjones&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us&client=safari

Pretty fucking awesome, isn't it?

[originalpckelly]

3. Here's a better formatted version of some of the same info:

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:j7QyZQj4MCUJ:womenshistory.about.com/library/etext/mj/bl_mj22.htm+%22edward+doyle%22+%2Bjones&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=us&client=safari

[Omaha Steve]

4. Great find

These letters should be preserved! Ever thought about it?

[originalpckelly]

6. They're tucked away in acid free sheet protectors.

My mom told me that my Aunt Connie gave away most of the other stuff to the local historical society.

Wherever these are in storage, they should be kept in the family. It's our history too! :P

[MADem]

5. You need to head to the ANTIQUES ROAD SHOW with those letters!!!! NT

[originalpckelly]

7. I never thought about selling them.

They're really the family's, so I wouldn't really even consider it. Though, it might be nice to have them appraised for insurance purposes.

[MADem]

10. No, no ...NO! To get them valued, and to get one of their quirky historians to expound on them!!!!

Bit-o-trivia: Samuel Gompers had a US Navy vessel named after him!

That's some cool American History your family owns...you might want to loan them to a library or museum for safekeeping, too.

[originalpckelly]

13. As I understand it, they're the leftovers from what was already donated by my Aunt Connie.

I can see why we still have them, they don't make a lot of sense.

[MADem]

14. What do they say? Are they legible? nt

[originalpckelly]

16. I don't remember, it was about 3 or 4 years ago while I was packing to move...

when I read them. When we moved, my brother took some of the stuff we had and stored it for us, but these were in a box that might be around here. I'll look today to see if I can find them. I do have a scanner, but it's the sheet fed type, I might be able to take a picture of the letters and enhance it on the computer, to see if that makes it easier to read, if I find them.

Damn you! You've got me interested, I'm going to have to pull all this shit out and look for them now! :P

[MADem]

20. I love archives! Sometimes, your first read might not reveal anything of interest,

but subsequent readings, if put in context with events, can reveal all sorts of stuff!

[cosmik debris]

2. K&R

That is a very important site in Labor History.

The Rockefeller family would like us to forget it, but we will never forget!

[havocmom]

8. to the Greatest Page with this one

And thanks, for bringing it to DU's attention, as always.

[rockymountaindem]

9. Kick

Glad to see Salazar is taking the lead on this.

[bluesmail]

11. a big ass kick for labor

[Richard Steele]

12. K&R

[gratuitous]

15. I see a hold on Salazar's bill

Wait . . . it's becoming clearer. A hold placed on the bill by . . . Coburn? Brownback? Some other insane Republican? Doesn't really matter. I see the hold coming to Majority Leader Reid's attention and he . . . he . . . he honors it, of course. Unlike holds placed by members of his own party, Reid is very deferential to holds put forward by the Republicans. All bipartisan, he is.

Besides, it's just some citizens offed by some thugs and domestic terrorists; why should we memorialize that? They were gettin' uppity, they were, and got what was coming to them.

[ursi]

17. Kick and Rank! These people deserve respect and honor!

[El Pinko]

18. K & R.

NT

[johan helge]

19. K & R

They deserve to be remembered!

[johan helge]

21. One more kick!

Get it on the home page!

[Greyhound]

22. Abso-frikin-lutely! K & R

:kick: