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In Freedom's Name

The Highest Price Paid

By Dana CrandellPublished 12 months ago Updated 11 months ago 4 min read
Top Story - June 2023
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Ludlow Massacre Memorial, by Hugh Sullivan.

*** Content Warning: This story contains references to violent deaths, including those of of women and children. These events are historic facts and detailed descriptions have been omitted. ***

Cover Photo courtesy of Dr. Fawn-Amber Montoya, Ludlow Centennial Commemoration.

(Photos without attribution are in the Public Domain.)

“In Freedom's Name,” a noble claim

For their untimely end

When shelter became sepulcher

And Death, a welcome friend

- Dana O. Crandell

The short verse above may seem morbid and contradictory. It was inspired by the sculpture above, and its focus is on only thirteen of the lives lost that day. In my mind, there's a tragic irony in the reference to freedom in their case, since death was what eventually freed them from a real-life horror.

The missing item in this photo is what the sculpted miner's downcast eyes are gazing on. Near the foot of the monument, there's a rectangular cellar, now protected by a metal lid.

Photo Courtesy of Dr. Fawn-Amber Montoya, Ludlow Centennial Commemoration

The massacre that the Ludlow Memorial is dedicated to was only one of several confrontations during the Colorado Coalfield War. The battles occurred between striking coal miners and the proxies of the aristocracy behind Colorado Fuel and Iron (CF&I) Corporation. Between September of 1913 and December of 1914, at least 50 lives were lost in these incidents. Half of those lives were lost at Ludlow, and over half of those were women and children in the pit where the monument now stands.

Photo Copyright Kelly Michals, shared under CC NC 2.0

Hopefully, you're asking, “How does that happen?” There's some speculative argument in the answer to that, or at least to the question of whether it qualifies as accidental. The facts are hard enough to face, regardless of the intent.

Events unfolded at Ludlow over a long period of time. Shortly after the strike was called by United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) in September, striking miners were evicted from their homes in several company towns. The Union countered this by leasing the company lands and raising tent colonies. The Ludlow Colony was the largest, with approximately 200 tents covering 40 acres. The miners and their families in these tent cities were under constant harassment by agents hired by the company and several deaths occurred. As attacks continued at random throughout the various colonies, miners dug pits under the tents to provide shelter for their families.

Armed strikers in front of Ludlow Tent Colony by E. Doyle, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

There are various accounts of how the confrontations between the miners and company proxies escalated, but the execution of two union organizers by company guards at Ludlow has been documented. The State Militia, which apparently was mostly comprised of loyal company employees in that area, was called in to convince the now-armed miners to stand down. When that failed, The Colorado National Guard was called in and along with other armed soldiers, set up a machine gun on a hill near the tent city.

Colorado National Guard with an automatic rifle on Water Tank Hill, near Ludlow Tent Colony

On April 20th, a day-long battle began at Ludlow Tent Colony as miners and Guardsmen fired on each other. In the evening, the tents began to burn, reportedly ignited by soldiers on horseback carrying kerosene-dipped brooms. Several accounts state that those who ran from the tents met a hail of bullets from the machine gun.

The following morning, workers combing through the burned-out camp would discover the bodies of eleven children and two women in what's now known as the “Death Pit” at the memorial site. When the flaming tent collapsed on top of the shelter, its occupants suffocated and burned. I'll skip the detailed descriptions. Given how they died, I can only imagine that the freedom these victims found was in the arms of Death.

The remains of Ludlow Tent Colony

Sadly, although the Ludlow Massacre was a turning point, it was far from the end of the undeclared war. Over the next 10 days, the fighting would move north. Strikebreakers were killed by strikers. There were more skirmishes with the National Guard. Mines would be set alight. Company houses were bombed. The fighting would continue until Federal troops were sent in to disarm both sides. The strike itself would continue until December, when UMWA finally called it off due to lack of funds. None of the demands of the workers were met. CF&I owner John D. Rockefeller would provide compromises later, to help repair the damage caused to his image.

The Labor Movement in our country was a bloody affair. Before its end, it would cost far too many lives on many fronts. Unfortunately, neither side was innocent. At Ludlow, innocents paid the ultimate price.

Underground shelter in which women and children died during a fire at Ludlow Tent Colony.

Ironically, the monument, erected in 1918, was severely vandalized in 2003. The heads of the miner and the mother, along with her arm, were cut away, removed and stolen. The persons responsible were never caught and the heads were never recovered, despite a $5,000 reward offer. The missing pieces were recreated and attached, and the new monument was finally unveiled in 2005. The site was named a National Historic Landmark in 2009.

I'd like to encourage all those who read this to take advantage of any opportunity to visit this memorial. It's about 14.5 miles north of Trinidad, Colorado, on I-25 and a great photo opportunity. My own photos of the site have somehow disappeared, so I contacted the Ludlow Centennial Commemoration to ask if they could provide one. Dr. Fawn-Amber Montoya graciously agreed and I'd like to ask my readers to visit their Facebook page to find out more and support their efforts.

As always, thanks for reading!

JourneySculptureHistoryFine Art
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About the Creator

Dana Crandell

Dad, Stedpad, Grandpa, Husband, lover of Nature and dogs.

Poet, Writer, Editor, Photographer, Artist and Tech/Internet nerd. Content writer by trade. Vocal Creator by choice.

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Comments (46)

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  • Christy Munson13 days ago

    First I've heard of this undeclared war. Thank you for sharing the story without sentimentality, but rather with facts and integrity. I also loved the introductory poem, and the photographs really bring it home.

  • Jay Kantor11 months ago

    Hi The "Other Doc" - Wasn't this originally in 'History?' As discussed that's why I put "Cultural Exchange" into that section upon your lead - sorry it got lost among all of the book reviews - I was giving you an insight into my life after you've shared so much of yours and Pam's (and the 2 Sixty Pounders at your Feet) J-Bud

  • C. H. Richard11 months ago

    I actually read this last week off the facebook thread but I kept getting kicked out of Vocal and wanted to come back to leave comments. Thank you so much for sharing this piece of history. This is exactly type of history that is not shared enough. I can't imagine what the miners and their families went through, but your story highlights their struggle. Congratulations on being featured on the Ludlow Memorial sight as well. ♥️

  • Great story also please read my story, I'm a black written looking for more inspiration

  • Rob Angeli12 months ago

    Very well done! Harrowing tale to put the sculpture in context.

  • Novel Allen12 months ago

    "Man to man is so unjust, you just don't know who to trust". (Bob Marley). WE continue to turn on each other, this is so sad. Always a fight to get what is right done peacefully. Innocent lives paying a horrible price. The day comes when we all do what is right. This was a sad but well presented story. Congrats on well deserved wins Dana.

  • Kristen Balyeat12 months ago

    Fantastic piece, Dana! Absolutely love your poem at the beginning! Beautiful! Very interesting and so sad. Even though I'm from Colorado, I had never heard of this event. Thanks for covering this in such perfect detail, and congrats on top story! We will definitely make it a point to visit the memorial with the boys. I can't believe that someone vandalized it in such a horrific way, but glad they were able to restore it.

  • Congratulations🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉😉

  • Erica Wagner12 months ago

    A fascinating and remarkable story — completely unknown to me. The United States is full of this kind of hidden history: thanks for shining a light on this significant episode.

  • Donna Fox (HKB)12 months ago

    I love that you started this piece off with a symbolic/ ironic poem. I felt like it really set the tone for the events that you wanted to retell. I appreciated your opinions very unique narrative voice in this tale. Overall this was such a tragic part of history to retell, but I feel like it was good to read just for the sake of a reality check. Also, congratulations on Top Story, again!! 🎉

  • Great job and well written Dana!!! Congratulations on the Top Story!!!

  • Mariann Carroll12 months ago

    Congratulations on Top Story , thanks for sharing this story 🥇

  • Cathy holmes12 months ago

    Very interesting. Have to admit, I've never heard of this. Well done on the TS

  • Babs Iverson12 months ago

    Thank you for sharing!!! There was a lot of labor violence in our history. Congratulations on Top Story!!!

  • Ahna Lewis12 months ago

    I've never heard this story before. Thanks for brining these events to light! And congrats on your top story!

  • This is spectacular Dana. What an important piece to outline. Bravo

  • Gina C.12 months ago

    Such compelling history. You did an amazing job with this, Dana! I definitely learned something new and I very much enjoyed the way you wrote this. Congratulations on a well-deserved Top Story! 🤗❤️

  • Tragic story, starkly told, lacking none of its power for its simplicity.

  • It seems innocents often pay the ultimate price. Congratulations on your top story. Well done.

  • Veronica Coldiron12 months ago

    I am always amazed at the brutality of humankind. This was a powerful look at the history of labor strikes in this country. Until now, I had not heard of this one. Thank you for sharing this!

  • Sonia Heidi Unruh12 months ago

    Gratitude to you for lifting up this story. We know far too little about the sacrifices that were made for each grudging inch of progress for workers. You tell this story in a simple, straightforward way that brings the horror of the event into stark relief. My only wish would be a bit more background info on why the miners were striking-- what were their demands?

  • Anthony Gatimu12 months ago

    You have gone above and beyond expectations, demonstrating an exemplary performance that sets you apart. Your efforts and determination have brought you this well-deserved success. Way to go! Your fantastic job and superb effort have not gone unnoticed. You have surpassed all challenges and exceeded all expectations.

  • Tiffany Gordon 12 months ago

    Your poem was outstanding along with your article! Thank you for sharing this important piece of history!

  • Scott Christenson12 months ago

    Very interesting nugget of history I hadn't heard of. It reminds me that all this sort of labor history has been ghosted by the media and education system, for some simplified version of just about everything in our country's history.

  • That was just so sad and tragic. I never knew anything about this before. I'm so glad you wrote about this. It's so important for us to remember history, as to not repeat it. Thank you so much for sharing this!

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