minewar.org documenting the 1930's Illinois Mine War
The Jargon of Authenticity
Reviewing the terrific online photos hosted by the West Virginia and Regional Historical Collection, I noticed a change in the signage over the entrance of the Union Miners Cemetery in Mt. Olive Illinois. As you can see from the photos the word “REAL” was changed to “GOOD” some time after 1976. No doubt the original […]
In A County Named Christian
Here’s a forlorn account of the funeral of mine war martyr, Emma Cumerlato, published in The Progressive Miner. Although the PMA was typically held responsible for mine war violence, this story affirms the remarkable resilience and restraint of these mourning workers: Once again in the shadows of a Peabody mine tipple, a gigantic funeral procession […]
Sit-Down In Wilsonville ~ Part II
One might wonder, why don’t workers use sit-down strikes today? As I pointed out in an earlier post, sit-down strikes were an extremely effective way for workers to gain leverage at the point of production and win concessions. Yet today strikes are quite rare and sit-downs are nearly non-existent in the U.S. The reason for […]
Happy Birthday, Les!
Earlier this month, the venerable Les Orear celebrated his 100th birthday. Many may know Les as a founder of the Illinois Labor History Society. Les led that organization for decades and continues today as its President Emeritus. I count myself fortunate to have been able to collaborate with Les over the years. Together we created […]
Sit-Down In Wilsonville
The 74th anniversary of the 1937 Wilsonville Sit-Down Strike is quickly approaching and merits attention. While many labor actions are spurred by the struggle for better wages or working conditions, this strike was set in motion for a different reason. In his memoirs Jack Battuello recalls: “Whenever they mechanized a mine with one type of […]
Bird’s Eye View
This image is part of an aerial survey of Illinois conducted in 1938. Peabody Mine Number 7, just south of US 104 in Kincaid, IL is pictured. In the lower middle of the image the shadow cast by the mine tipple is visible. Here’s the link to the full image. To see the full collection […]