| 1913-1914 |
The Colorado Coalfield War |
- August 16, 1913- Baldwin-Felts agents hired by the coal companies assassinate union organizer Gerald Lippiatti in Trinidad
- September 23, 1913- miners go on strike under the leadership of the UMWA
- September 24, 1913- mine guard Bob Lee is shot to death by strikers
- September 27, 1913, tents finally arrive at Ludlow tent colony to house strikers evicted by the coal companies
- October 26-28, 1913- Battle of Berwind ensues as strikers attack both Berwind and Hastings coal camps
- October 28, 1913- Governor Ammons orders the Colorado National Guard into the southern coalfields to keep the peace
- November 1, 1913- The Colorado National Guard enters the Ludlow vicinity
- February 1914- The US House of Representatives holds hearings investigating the causes of the strike
- March 28, 1914- The majority of the National Guard is removed from the strike zone leaving two main units, Companies A and B. Both primarily consist of mine guards, hired guns and sheriff's deputies
- April 20, 1914- The Ludlow Massacre. National Guard troops fire into the Ludlow colony resulting in the deaths of 20 strikers including 11 children and 2 women
- April 21- May 1, 1914- The 10-day war. Strikers retaliate for the massacre by destroying coal camps and taking over the major urban areas in the strike zone, such as Trinidad
- April 28, 1914- President Wilson orders Federal Troops to establish peace in the strike zone
- 1914 US Commission on Industrial Relations investigates the causes of the strike and conditions of the camps, placing much of the blame on John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s inaction in management
|
