Questions For Labor Historians: Resistance In Company Towns?

Submitted by Ahruzimel t3_z7vv7k in history

Hey folks,

I'm interested in learning more about company towns, primarily the coal-mining towns of Appalachia in the 1900s-1930s (although if anyone has any relevant insights about other times and/or places, please share!). Particularly in places where the company owned the houses, the company store is the only store, workers are paid in scrip, the next town is hours away by train, etc.

What was the relationship like between company bosses/administrators and resistant workers? What methods did workers use to resist company power, both openly and covertly? What about family members of miners who, themselves, did not work for the mine? How did bosses try to counter that resistance? I'm familiar with Blair Mountain, but are there any other stories I should look into?

Thanks!

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browndog56 t1_iyafilc wrote

Battle of Blair Mountain

“Where the lead lies still and the smoke still rises, on the Blair mountainside.”

  • Charles Wesley Godwin, Coal Country
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ShortysTRM t1_iyauzlz wrote

The Bull Moose Express is another wild story from the WV coalfields. It wasn't a huge event, and I don't think anyone died, but firing a machine gun from a company train car into a camp full of families is a bit terrifying.

Sorry, one death: https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/707

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Sam-Gunn t1_iyb283z wrote

I can't find the story, but years ago I read an article where they relayed a story from a miner encampment around that same time period. During that time they went on strike and the miners expected the company would run another armored train through their encampment. So a bunch of them walked about a mile up the tracks, pulled up the rails and rolled them down an embankment so when the train came through, it couldn't continue to the encampment for the attack, and the rails were too heavy for the mercenaries to bring back up the hill. I'll keep trying to find it though. It was an interesting read.

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ResonantBanjo t1_iyacu6q wrote

You need to watch Harlan County USA. It is on HBO Max. It maybe available elsewhere as well. It is centered on the Brookside Mine in the 1970s. It has some material about ‘Bloody Harlan’ of the 1930s.

Looks like it is here https://youtu.be/Q2aPy_XVVZ4

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Middle-Painter-4032 t1_iyaiikt wrote

Excellent call here. Turner Classic Movies will show this on occasion. Great documentary.

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Middle-Painter-4032 t1_iya6zza wrote

Not entirely relevant to your question; but if you haven't seen it yet, Matewan is a movie that you might enjoy.

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Middle-Painter-4032 t1_iya7non wrote

... and though not Appalachia, Pullman, Chicago is now a fascinating National Monument. Sorry not on point again, but just thought you might like this if you're interested in this kind of subject matter

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Permanenceisall t1_iyb5yk1 wrote

Similarly, the Bisbee Deportationin Bisbee Arizona are another horrifying and fascinating, but often forgotten moment in labor relations and company towns during the 20th century

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BeeThickSoup t1_iya9n40 wrote

Estevan Riot of 1931. A pitched battle between striking coal workers and Mounted Police in Saskatchewan, Canada.

https://www.saskarchives.com/Estevan_Riot_Weighing_Causes

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wafflesandbrass t1_iyarlk9 wrote

Ooh! I was about to mention this, and I'm impressed that someone beat me to it. My great grandfather worked in the mine at Estevan during that time. My great grandmother took shelter with my great aunt, her infant daughter, behind a façade on a roof. Good thing she did, too. My great grandfather was not hurt. He was actually one of a couple of people who stayed behind at the mine to operate some piece of equipment that could not be left alone for safety reasons (not sure what it was exactly).

Edit: Another detail I remember is that the people who were shot dead by the RCMP (six people, I believe) were all buried in the same spot. People put up grave markers that said "shot by the RCMP." The markers kept getting taken down, and people kept putting up new ones to replace them.

Edit 2: That great aunt is still alive. I can actually call her up and see what she remembers.

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La_danse_banana_slug t1_iyalyp8 wrote

Researching the Pinkerton Detective Agency and companies like it, who were hired by the companies to suppress strikes and rebellion, might help you infer what the miners were up to by learning what activities the company was hired to protect against.

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Mad_Max_Rockatanski t1_iyacu8i wrote

Bootleg Coal Rebellion is a good start. Also look into the Molly Maquires.

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RoyalArmyBeserker t1_iyam9kt wrote

Besides striking?

I’m areas where unions were technically or just outright illegal, one of the things workers would do is wear a red bandana or just cloth around their necks or over their mouth and nose. This was meant to show solidarity with other workers, even if they couldn’t openly have a union.

A lot of people think this is where the term “redneck” comes from but this is actually false. The term “red neck” originated in the American South during the reconstruction as a semi-derogatory name for southern farmers.

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wheneveriwander t1_iyb4zmd wrote

In The Jungle, Chicago meat packing workers live in company housing, shop in company stores, work in appalling conditions, and can never get ahead. Explains why unions were started…

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Gwenbors t1_iyb7cwa wrote

Not Appalachia, but there’s a fair amount of research on the Ludlow Massacre in Colorado. Similar dynamics, I’d imagine, in a lot of ways.

Little known fact, it was the first use (I think) of an armored car, and the creation of Rockefeller Plaza was part of the Rockefeller family damage control.

You’d think I’d know more about Appalachia, though, my great great grandfather started in America as a coal miner in SE PA. Ended up getting transferred to clerk in the company store after he developed sudden-onset claustrophobia after getting caught in a mine collapse.

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fallen3503 t1_iybcwpu wrote

Coal Creek Wars. Basically miners in east Tennessee near knoxsviile go to war with the state of Tennessee because the state rented out convict labor to make money after the Civil War. When the mining company's figure out it was cheaper to rent convicts than to deal with miners trying to unionize and gain better working conditions, they fired the miners and just used convict labor. The miners put down their picks and picked up their rifles and fought for almost 2 years.

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dhrisc t1_iyb3574 wrote

I'd suggest browsing some of the books put out by WV University press, I've not read much on this subject, but they've been putting out some great labor history books. This one looks good https://wvupressonline.com/node/577

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marcosbowser t1_iyb4l55 wrote

You might want to look up Cumberland, British Columbia, Canada. Early 20th C. Company mining town at the time. Famous labour leader Ginger Goodwin was eventually hunted down in his forest hiding spot and killed.

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thenerfviking t1_iyb8msi wrote

My great grandfather was actually part of a union movement in a Virginia company town right after he immigrated. They had a wealthy benefactor who was supporting them but it was so dangerous for him that he would have to come to meetings under a mask because they were worried about the company goons or Pinkerton types trying to assassinate him.

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sn3kyj3d1 t1_iybcs63 wrote

Look up the Homestead, PA strike. This was a steel mill town and Carnegie owned the mill. They literally barricaded the town and if you tried to enter they beat the shit out of you. Carnegie sent some barges in with Pinkerton and about a dozen people died from the gun battle. The national government ended up sending the military in to break it up.

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DefTheOcelot t1_iybhnme wrote

The Devil Is Here In These Hills is a fantastic book on the subject highly recommend

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Numerous-Ordinary-19 t1_iybo6s4 wrote

I recommend visiting Matewan, West Virginia. I found the people there to be friendly and helpful while doing my research. A Lady even pointed out the site where Sid Hatfield and the townspeople had the big shootout with the goons hired by the mine owners. The Mayor of Matewan died in that firefight.

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Civil-Secretary-2356 t1_iyc8xtu wrote

Not sure if this is relevant but there is a YouTube true crime channel called mysterious wv. I do remember one episode that seems to look into a shootout between sheriff's/company representatives and miners in the state. I can't remember the name of the video or where exactly this took place but I thought it an excellent video.

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No-Strength-6805 t1_iycx1ee wrote

Even though doesn't occur in USA , might check out Fordlandia ,Henry's experiment in South America ,his attempt at stamping his values on people and get cheaper rubber 1934-1945.

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yeswayvouvray t1_iyd5n0s wrote

The Archive Atlanta podcast has an episode on the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill, the history of Cabbagetown and the strike of 1897. There was another strike in 1914-15 in which the company evicted the strikers who lived in company-owned housing.

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