{"id":646,"date":"2015-10-11T21:02:29","date_gmt":"2015-10-12T01:02:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ss.sites.mtu.edu\/mhugl\/?p=646"},"modified":"2019-09-15T15:52:35","modified_gmt":"2019-09-15T19:52:35","slug":"the-houghton-county-copper-strike-of-1913-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ss.sites.mtu.edu\/mhugl\/2015\/10\/11\/the-houghton-county-copper-strike-of-1913-14\/","title":{"rendered":"Copper Strike 1913-14"},"content":{"rendered":"
Big Annie of Calumet leading strike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the Houghton County copper strike in 1913 the National Guard was called into action in the early stages to maintain peace.\u00a0 Their tenure in the area was marked by peaceful protection of non-union workers and chaperoning parades of picketers. \u00a0The removal of National Guard troops with a simultaneous\u00a0increase in the local deputies and armed guards increased the tension between the two sides of the strike as the deputies were poor managers of the strike situation. \u00a0This led to an increase in violence between all parties involved: the strikers, mining companies, and the deputies. \u00a0The strike lasted for almost a year with the tensions leading to stubbornness in negotiations between the two sides which prolonged the strike.<\/p>\n

Initiation of the Strike<\/h3>\n

The copper mines in the Keweenaw Peninsula operated without conflict throughout most of their history prior to 1913 due to the paternalistic culture of the companies over their employees. \u00a0The companies provided housing, operated libraries and schools, and organized many other social welfare programs for the miners (Kaunonen, Goings, 5). \u00a0This culture was designed to cultivate loyal employees that depended on the companies.\u00a0 Unfortunately for the companies, this backfired as foreign workers were imported to fill the underground positions and were not given the same treatment as the native workers. \u00a0This created a divide between the foreign and native workers\u00a0which\u00a0was triggered into a strike with the prospect of a one-man drill being introduced.\u00a0 The one-man drill would eliminate half of the underground jobs, mostly held by foreigners, leaving them without a job, housing, or many other options.\u00a0 Organizing under the Western Federation of Miners in the spring of 1913, the copper mine workers officially went on strike on July 24, 1913 (Lankton, 192-193).<\/p>\n

In an effort to force the mines to shut down, the strikers resorted to beating\u00a0the non-striking workers with clubs\u00a0to stop them\u00a0from entering the mines.\u00a0 This tactic worked and the mines closed to protect worker\u2019s safety, however the violent acts established the strikers as the aggressor and the mines as the victims in the initial stages of the strike (Lankton, 196).\u00a0 In response to the violent acts, the Houghton County Sheriff appealed to Governor Ferris for National Guard reinforcement, convinced that the local deputies could not cover the large area of the strike.\u00a0 Governor Ferris responded rapidly and ordered the entire Michigan National Guard to the Houghton County area.\u00a0 Troops started arriving as soon as July 25 and all troops were stationed by July 27.\u00a0 In total, there were 2,354 troops with 2 artillery batteries, 2 cavalry units, 1 company of engineers, and 3 regiments of infantry all under the command of Brig. Gen. P. L. Abbey (“Send Troops to all the Mines”).\u00a0 The strikers urged the governor himself to come to the mines and inspect the working conditions of the miners in order to convince him that the strikers are the victims.\u00a0 Ferris refused this request and replied \u201cMiners and mine owners must make every possible effort to settle their industrial dispute. This can be done without the presence of the governor. I expect both sides will see the wisdom of asking for only what is right.\u201d (“Displeased by\u00a0Governor’s Reply”)<\/p>\n

National Guard Brings Peace<\/h3>\n

The presence of the National Guard created a more orderly strike environment with the troops handling the protests and parades with unbiased discipline.\u00a0 The first strike event after the deployment of the National Guard was a parade of 3,000 strikers that marched from Red Jacket to Larium, passing right through the National Guard camp.\u00a0 General Abbey was in control of the situation and there were only minor incidents that were well handled by the troops to disperse the strikers (\u201cResume All Pumps Under Military Guard; Strikers\u2019 Protest Fails to Impress Ferris.\u201d).\u00a0 Strikers petitioned Governor Ferris to remove troops from Houghton County saying \u201cTheir function is to preserve the peace, not to break strikes.\u00a0 Strikers are peaceful, troops are an unnecessary burden upon taxpayers.\u201d (\u201cProminent Business Men Sign Petition Asking Governor to Keep Troops Here.\u201d) \u00a0Meanwhile, businessmen in the district created an anti-petition to the governor urging him to keep the troops in Houghton County \u201cuntil order is restored and property is safe.\u201d (\u201cProminent Business Men Sign Petition Asking Governor to Keep Troops Here.\u201d) \u00a0Strikers showed their contempt of the National Guard further by threatening two members of the company of engineers.\u00a0 One of the men was threatened to have his head cut off and the other was threatened to be waylaid and beat if they did not desert the company (\u201cProminent Business Men Sign Petition Asking Governor to Keep Troops Here.\u201d).\u00a0 The strikers thus portrayed themselves again as the aggressors against the companies and now the National Guard as well.<\/p>\n

The National Guard maintained a neutral attitude toward both the miners and mining companies for the duration of the strike which helped to make them effective peacekeepers for the strike situation.\u00a0 Major Vandercook of the National Guard explained their neutrality as to \u201cpreserve order and protect lives and property without giving either side cause to feel that the troops were backing either the operators or the strikers\u201d (“Troops are Neutral”). \u00a0The main task of the National Guard became following the picketers while mine workers were traveling to the mines and ensuring that the workers were allowed to safely enter the mines (Meeker, 67).\u00a0 When it was required to disrupt riots, they did so peacefully without brandishing weapons or threatening strikers with violence.\u00a0 They completed this task with such effectiveness that there were no violent riots in the first few weeks of the strike, convincing Governor Ferris to send two artillery batteries home and gradually reduce the number of soldiers from 2,565 initially to 500 by the end of September (Meeker, 67).\u00a0 Ferris was also under the impression that the increase in local deputies, 430 in July to 1,700 in November, would allow them to protect the mines and mine workers without the National Guard present.\u00a0 The mining companies also hired 52 armed guards (Waddell men) to protect the mines (Meeker, 67).\u00a0 The transition between the National Guard maintaining peace and the local deputies and Waddell men was met with harsh criticism by the strikers, for as much as they did not like the National Guard, they despised the deputies and Waddell men.<\/p>\n

Violence during the Strike<\/h3>\n

The decrease in the number of soldiers in addition to the concurrent reopening of some of the mines led to an increase in protests and riots which fell to the deputies and Waddell men to control.\u00a0 In sharp contrast with the National Guard, they were quick to use violence against the strikers.\u00a0 In one incident in Painesdale, a striker was walking home along a path through the mine\u2019s property and was seen by the local deputies.\u00a0 The deputies reported this incident to the Waddell men who then went to arrest the man under a charge of intimidation.\u00a0 When they went to arrest him, the man ran into his house where there were 15 other people.\u00a0 The Waddell men then opened fire on the house, claiming that there had been a shot from inside the house, and killed two men and injured three more (Meeker, 67).\u00a0 This event led to a public outcry for the National Guard troops to remain in Houghton for the duration of the strike or at least until the deputies could handle the situation (\u201cTwo Dead as Result of Strike Clash at Champion Mine Early Last Night.\u201d).\u00a0 The deputies further lowered their reputation at a picket on September 2.\u00a0 The National Guard had initially prevented the parade from going near the mines peacefully and the parade turned away from the mines.\u00a0 A group of 15 deputies then stopped the parade as they were headed away from the mines.\u00a0 After exchanging epithets with the parade, the deputies fired 90 shots into the air which struck one young girl in the head (Meeker, 70).<\/p>\n

The change in the composition of peacekeeping troops marked a major turning point in the strike.\u00a0 The mostly peaceful parades of strikers turned into violent acts from both sides of the strike (excluding the National Guard).\u00a0 The deputies and Waddell men consistently acted violently toward the strikers and even beat women with clubs or night sticks on many occasions (Meeker, 74).\u00a0 This in turn led to the strikers becoming more violent toward the deputies, in one case killing a deputy and in another attempting to kill a deputy.\u00a0 Strikers also increased their violence toward the imported workers, often throwing rocks at their train cars and beating them on their way to work.\u00a0 Overall, 38 striker men were charged with assault, 9 were charged with murder, and 56 were charged with intimidation while 8 striker women were charged with assault and 27 with intimidation.\u00a0 The deputies and Waddell men had very few charges against them, mainly because they were the people issuing the charges and did not charge themselves when they were the aggressors in violent assaults (Meeker, 74).\u00a0 As a result, an accurate number of the assaults on strikers by deputies is not known.<\/p>\n

The violence lasted for the duration of the strike and increased tensions between strikers and the mines which decreased the likelihood of a settlement by the mining companies.\u00a0 By late October, the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) had exhausted its financial resources in fighting against the companies and turned to the courts to attempt to end the strike.\u00a0 The companies knew the WFM couldn\u2019t sustain the strike much longer and rejected the offer to end the strike.\u00a0 Meanwhile, the mining companies created the Citizen\u2019s Alliance as a community group that wanted to end the violence and restore peace.\u00a0 They printed a publication called Truth, which portrayed the strikers as the aggressors and the cause of the violence in the area.\u00a0 At the same time, the mining companies voluntarily introduced 8 hour workdays to remaining workers in an effort to persuade strikers to abandon the strike (Lankton, 201).\u00a0 These actions reinvigorated the strike and led to the worst month of the strike.\u00a0 December of 1913 saw more deaths than any other month of the strike (Lankton, 202).\u00a0 Most were a result of the Italian Hall disaster in which 73 WFM members were trampled to death after a false fire alarm, most of the deaths being young children.\u00a0 The cause of the stampede was determined, by the strikers, to be a member of the Citizen\u2019s Alliance yelling \u201cfire\u201d into the hall.\u00a0 The community members collected donations to give the families affected by the tragedy, however the WFM leader rejected their charity due to his bitterness against the Citizen\u2019s Alliance.\u00a0 This infuriated community members and they forced him onto a train to Chicago (Lankton, 205).\u00a0 The strike officially continued through\u00a0the spring of 1914 but was over after December for all intents and purposes.<\/p>\n

Mass Exodus of Miners<\/h3>\n

Many mine workers decided to abandon the mines all together due to the social upheaval taking place in the copper country. \u00a0They looked for work in many other disciplines and locations, most notably the Ford automotive assembly plants in Detroit.\u00a0 Workers at Ford had the opportunity to make $5 a day plus a bonus plan which was much better than the $3 a day in the mines with worse working and social conditions (Lankton, 205).\u00a0 These coincidental events led to a mass exodus from the mines during and after the strike, including the most experienced miners.\u00a0 Replacement workers were never as experienced as those they replaced and slowed production. \u00a0The mines never recovered from the removal of experienced workers and the social divide created in the community.\u00a0 They remained open into the mid-1900\u2019s mainly due to the two world wars and the increased demand of copper for ammunition (Lankton, 207-210).<\/p>\n

The copper strike of 1913 most likely could\u00a0have been resolved with less violence and in a shorter time frame had the National Guard not been removed from the area.\u00a0 In the time that the National Guard had a strong presence in the area, there were no strike related deaths.\u00a0 As soon as the deputies took control the violence commenced from all sides of the strike.\u00a0 The violence led to neither side wanting to settle the strike and the prolonged time scale that resulted.\u00a0 Had there been no violence involved with the strike, a peaceful settlement in a much shorter time would have been likely since the relationship between the two sides would have been more civil.\u00a0 The National Guard leave the Houghton area was the major turning point in the strike which could have easily been avoided.\u00a0 Removing the National Guard was based on the unwarranted worries about the National Guard appearing as strike breakers and the false illusion that the local deputies could handle the situation.\u00a0 The National Guard displayed great strike control skills while mobilized with their unbiased and disciplined protection of the Houghton area and should have been utilized for the entire duration of the strike.<\/p>\n

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Image
\nGallery<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n

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Strikers hold a parade through Calumet, MI (“Labor Disputes-1913-1914 Strike.”\u00a0Keweenaw Digital Archives<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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The house where deputies opened fire on an unarmed house of WFM members after they trespassed on company property and resisted arrest. This event became known as the “Seberville Shooting.” (“Site of Seeberville Shootings.”\u00a0Keweenaw Digital Archives<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Michigan National Guard is called to the Keweenaw and pitches tents near Calumet, MI. (“1913 Strike-National Guard.”\u00a0Keweenaw Digital Archives<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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Primary Sources<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Anon. “1913-1914 Strike.<\/a>” Photograph.\u00a0MTU Archives.\u00a0<\/em>Quincy Mining Company Collection. Image # Acc-400-12-13-1988-01-08-19.<\/li>\n
  2. Anon. “1913-1914 Strike.<\/a>” Photograph.\u00a0MTU Archives.<\/em> Quincy Mining Company Collection. Image # Acc-400-12-13-1988-01-08-28.<\/li>\n
  3. Anon. “1913 Copper Miners Strike.<\/a>” Photograph.\u00a0MTU Archives.\u00a0<\/em>MTU Photographic Collection and Calumet & Hecla Photograph Collection. Image # MTU Neg 03861.<\/li>\n
  4. Anon. “Copper Country Strike Scene.<\/a>” Photograph.\u00a0MTU Archives.\u00a0<\/em>Copper Country Photographic Vertical File Collection. Image # NoNeg 2013-12-09-005<\/li>\n
  5. Anon. \u201cDisorders in Strike Zone this Morning<\/a>.\u201d The Calumet News <\/em>[Calumet, MI] 4 Sep. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  6. Anon. \u201cDispleased by Governor\u2019s Reply.<\/a>\u201d The Calumet News <\/em>[Calumet, MI] 26 Jul. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  7. Anon. \u201cEarly Parade Finds Militia on the Alert.<\/a>\u201d The Calumet News <\/em>[Calumet, MI] 26 Aug. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  8. Anon. “Federal Mediator Seeks to Settle Calumet Strike.<\/a>” Chicago Daily Tribune \u00a031 Dec. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  9. Anon. \u201cFerris Pleased with Troops.<\/a>\u201d The Calumet News <\/em>[Calumet, MI] 29 Aug. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  10. Anon. \u201cFight Starts when Deputies Meet Strikers.<\/a>\u201d The Calumet News <\/em>[Calumet, MI] 2 Sep. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  11. Anon. \u201cGovernor is Coming Here to Take Charge.<\/a>\u201d The Calumet News <\/em>[Calumet, MI] 25 Jul. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  12. Anon. “Labor Disputes-1913-1914 Strike.<\/a>” Photograph.\u00a0MTU Archives.\u00a0<\/em>Copper Country Vertical File Photograph Collection. Image # MTU Neg 05447.<\/li>\n
  13. Anon. \u201cMay Recall Troops Within Next 24 Hours; Sheriff\u2019s Deputies to Handle the Situation<\/a>.\u201d The Calumet News <\/em>[Calumet, MI] 6 Aug. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  14. Meeker, Royal \u201cReport of the Commissioner of Labor Statistics in regard to Strike of Mine Workers in the Michigan Copper District<\/a>\u201d U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/em>, No. 139. September 7, 1914.<\/li>\n
  15. Nara, J.W. “1913 Strike-National Guard<\/a>” Photograph. MTU Archives<\/em>, Nara Photographic Collection ACC#09-038A, Image NARA 42-003<\/li>\n
  16. Anon. \u201cProminent Business Men Sign Petition Asking Governor to Keep Troops Here<\/a>.\u201d The Calumet News <\/em>[Calumet, MI] 29 Jul. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  17. Reeder, John “1913 Strike.<\/a>” Photograph.\u00a0MTU Archives.\u00a0<\/em>Reeder Photographic Collection. Image # MS042-05-53-435.<\/li>\n
  18. Anon. \u201cResume All Pumps Under Military Guard; Strikers\u2019 Protest Fails to Impress Ferris.<\/a>\u201d The Calumet News <\/em>[Calumet, MI] 28 Jul. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  19. Anon. \u201cSend Troops to all the Mines.\u201d<\/a> The Calumet News <\/em>[Calumet, MI] 26 Jul. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  20. Anon. “Site of Seeberville Shootings.<\/a>” Photograph. MTU Archives.<\/em>\u00a0Collection Acc. 400 (12-13-1998), Image # Acc-400-12-13-1988-001-011-002<\/li>\n
  21. Anon. “Troops are Neutral.”\u00a0The Calumet News\u00a0<\/em>[Calumet, MI] 15 Aug. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  22. Anon. \u201cTroops to be Relieved of Patrol Duty.<\/a>\u201d The Calumet News<\/em> [Calumet, MI] 3 Sep. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  23. Anon. \u201cTwo Dead as Result of Strike Clash at Champion Mine Early Last Night<\/a>.\u201d The Calumet News <\/em>[Calumet, MI] 15 Aug. 1913: 1<\/li>\n
  24. Anon. \u201cWomen Now Attack Non-Union Miners.<\/a>\u201d The Calumet News <\/em>[Calumet, MI] 28 Aug. 1913: 1<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Secondary Sources<\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. Thurner, Arthur W. “Charles H. Moyer and the Michigan Copper Strike, 1913-1914<\/a>”\u00a0Michigan Historical Review,\u00a0<\/em>Vol. 17, No. 2 (Fall 1991), pp. 1-19<\/li>\n
    2. Rubyan-Ling, Saronne “The Michigan Copper Strike of 1913.<\/a>”\u00a0History Today<\/em>, Vol. 48.3 (1998), pp. 47<\/li>\n
    3. Lankton, Larry “The Strike of 1913-1914”\u00a0Hollowed Ground: Copper Mining and Community Building on Lake Superior, 1840s-1990s.<\/em> Great Lakes Books, 2010. 191-206.<\/li>\n
    4. Kaunonen, Gary and Goings, Aaron Community in Conflict: A Working-Class History of the 1913-14 Michigan Copper Strike and the Italian Hall Tragedy<\/em>.\u00a0Michigan State University Press, 1st edition, 2013<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Further Reading<\/h3>\n