Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Mine Wars Forum Set

{Charleston, West Virginia}...The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is preparing a program on the bloody labor struggle known as the Mine Wars. The Archives and History Library in Charleston will present a forum September 22nd at the Culture Center of the state Capitol Complex to examine various aspects of the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek strike of 1912-13. The strike began April 18, 1912, when coal operators on Paint Creek rejected the demands of their unionized workers for a raise. The strike ultimately spread to nearby Cabin Creek.  During the strike, Governor William Glasscock imposed martial law, and more than 200 miners and their allies were arrested, including labor activist Mother Jones. A machine-gun-equipped armored train also fired into a camp of striking workers.