One-hundred-and-one years ago today, the Ludlow Massacre in southern Colorado shocked people around the country. Striking coal miners and their families living in a tent city were attacked by company guards, leaving 21 dead.
The massacre was part of ongoing violence during the Colorado Coalfield Wars. Miners were demanding safer working conditions and better wages from Colorado Fuel & Iron Co.
John D. Rockefeller, the majority owner of the company, had little response at first. That changed and Rockefeller felt pressured to show compassion.
Colorado State University history professor Fawn Amber Montoya edited and contributed to “Making an American Workforce: The Rockefellers and the Legacy of Ludlow.” She spoke with Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner.
