John Sr. and John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1915 |
Growing
up in New York, the Rockefeller name was pretty much a constant hum in the
background. Nelson Rockefeller, son of
John D. Rockefeller Jr., was our state
governor for no less than four terms and, considering my youth plus the fact
that public figures were far less likely at that time to have their dirt dished
by the press, I was blissfully unaware that he was anything less than a
god. When I bought my place in
Wyoming, located just five miles from
Grand Teton National Park, the Rockefeller name again became synonymous with
public service; it was largely John D. Rockefeller, Jr. whose land company was
responsible for large swathes of the park.
So imagine my horror to discover that very same man was also responsible
for one of the bloodiest episodes in American trade relations and commerce—the
Ludlow Massacre in Colorado.
Coal
mining had been going on in Colorado since the late 1860s, but with the
expansion of the railways, coal became a highly valuable commodity. The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, purchased
by his father in 1902, was under the management of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
with the controlling interest from 1911.
Sitting comfortably in his New York City office, he had high principles
by which he lived, and could live securely with his own money. His workers, on the other hand—mostly
immigrants from Italy, Serbia and Greece—had other concerns Rockefeller could
not possibly have understood.
Colliers
at the time were ‘company men.’ They
lived in company housing with curfews, medical care ‘provided’ by the company,
unable to shop anywhere but in the company shops, and their children poorly
educated if at all. They worked long
hours for low pay by the tonnage, often weighed by cheating employees of the
owner, and were not paid for associated work other than the mined coal
itself. The eight hour work day was not
enforced. And these first generation
immigrant workers of mixed backgrounds had difficulty communicating with each
other, thereby making discourse of their complaints difficult. This mix was
done on purpose by management with a ‘divide and conquer’ attitude.
Enter
the United Mine Workers Union and a fifteen month strike ensued. Obviously, the Union wanted recognition for
itself. For the miners, they wanted basic freedoms from this feudalism—freedom
to live where they wanted, shop where they wanted, seek medical attention
anywhere. They wanted enforcement of the
eight hour day with a ten percent pay increase, as well as payment for the work
other than mining such as shoring up the backs (roof) of the cavities, handling
the discard of impurities, and laying track.
They desired the weight-checkers to be elected by the colliers and the
ton to be 2K instead of the long ton that was in use (2200lbs.) Naturally, the
mine owners refused and subsequently, in September 1913, turned out the
striking workers. Tent camps were set
up, and the largest was Ludlow, with around one thousand residents, seventeen
miles north of Trinidad, CO.
Rockefeller’s
thugs hired the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency whose method in
'Death Car' armored and with gun placement |
By
the spring of 1914, the National Guard had been called in and dealt with several
sites, but the state of Colorado had run out of money to pay them. Rockefeller’s company proceeded to pick up
the bill and a machine gun was placed on a hill overlooking Ludlow. Fighting
raged for a day but as a freight train stopped, intervening between the two
factions, the miners were able to regroup.
This included hiding some 11 children and several women in a pit under
the tent infirmary.
On
the evening of April 20th, a day after the Orthodox Easter—the major
holy day in that calendar—had been celebrated, the tent camp was torched. All
the children and two of the women in the infirmary pit died. While our
neighbors in Mexico were undergoing a revolution that held the attention of
America, a small revolution had occurred in Colorado. The Colorado Coalfield War only had a death toll of seventy-five people but its effects were extensive and long-lasting. Although the United Mine Workers of America failed to win recognition and eventually ran out of money, John D. Rockefeller Jr. brought in Mackenzie King—future Canadian Prime Minister and a labor relations expert—to bring in reforms. He also brought in a public relations expert. Under their advice, Rockefeller let the
workers unionize, without penalizing those who had taken part in the
strikes. John Jr. actually left the
comforting confines of New York and went to Colorado to meet with the miners
and their families. He listened to their
grievances, attended social events, and subsequently made improvements—better
conditions for working as well as in their homes, paved roads, safety enhancements,
better health services and recreational facilities.
Ruins of Ludlow after fire |
I
won’t go into the politics here of whether this had long-lasting effects—whether
the 85,000 miners still working in the USA have sufficient health care against
black lung disease and so on. And it’s difficult to sum up Rockefeller’s views
in the stance of 1914. But what I do
know is this: the man made necessary
improvements to the lives of his workers in the coal industry, and he went on
to purchase some 35,000 acres that now comprise part of Grand Teton National
Park. Maybe that forced trip west opened
his eyes to quite a lot.
For
more photos and information, you may appreciate listening to Woody Guthrie
singing ‘Ludlow Massacre’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDd64suDz1A
5 comments:
Thanks for sharing this. I grew up in Colorado, but hadn't heard about it until today. Great history!
Thanks for sharing this little-known story. I've passed by the Ludlow site often on trips through southern Colorado. It's a sad and painful reminder of those brave men and women who came to this country and worked so hard, often giving their lives to make our country what it is today.
I did know about the Ludlow Massacre, but I didn't know the role Mackenzie King played in resolving the dispute or that Rockfeller softened his stance after visiting the site. Thanks for an interesting post. It's always good to be reminded of historical events even the ones that are painful to revisit.
Kelly, that truly surprises me, but maybe it was something non-mining communities didn't discuss? Thanks for stopping by.
Rebecca, I was wondering what, if anything, existed of the site now. Thanks for letting usn knw it's still there.
Patti, sadly I think there are an awful lot of historical events that are uncomfortable to visit. One can only wonder what of our contemporary happenings people in the future will look back on with disgust
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