Step Back: The Ludlow Massacre

South of Denver, and just off of one of the last exits on I-25, lies the city of Ludlow, Colorado. In 1914, members of the Ludlow Tent Colony who worked for the Colorado Fuel and Iron Co (CF&I) went on strike for workers' rights, and tens of dozens of them had been hurt in mining accidents. On April 20, 1914, on the orders of labor bosses in an attempt to break up the striking rioters, National Guardsmen set off the bloodiest labor clash in American history.

Close to 90 fatalities would be recorded over the next few weeks as the riotous responses raged on. 19 strikers were killed the first day - 11 of whom suffocated to death inside of a burning tent. One young man, Frank Snyder, was shot and killed while trying to recover his sister's runaway cat.

Who was to blame? The above picture was shoved under the face of company bosses as they testified in court. But, according to the strikers, the death-warrants of those killed were signed by the owner of the CF&I: __________. In one of the most publicized court hearings to date, __________ attempted to right the wrongs and repair the relations of the "Ludlow Massacre".

A year and a half later, on a public-relations tour, __________ actually visited Ludlow with his wife. He made the following speech:

“It seems to me that every man should have the right to decide for himself whether the Company is his best friend and champion or some outside organization. if the company cannot convince the men that it is their best friend, that it will cooperate more zealously with them than any outside organization is safeguarding their interests and well-being and securing them the fullest protection and justice, then the men must and should ally themselves with any organization which they believe gives better assurances of such results.”

What is the main thesis of his speech?

__________ developed his "Plan". Shown below, it was designed to give laborers an avenue for their complaints:

Who is at the "top of the line"? Why is this a good thing for laborers with a complaint?

But did it work? __________ and his "Plan" tried to create a feeling of unity amongst the laborers. They even threw a "Melting Pot Parade" to try to inspire the breaking down of ethnic walls.

But even __________ couldn't solve some of the problems within the labor groups. Sometimes ethnic divisions are too large for a labor boss to solve. Examine the labor sheet below. What are some of the main ethnicities in the camp?

Below is a personnel card of Valente Martinez. What conclusions can you draw from his card before he is "fatally injured"? (NOTE: This might be a cover up for a wrongful death...)

Yes. Ethnicities can divide a camp. But __________'s "Plan" couldn't solve the true problem: the hatred of supposed communists. The International Workers of the World (IWW) started to recruit laborers to join their organization. Below is a picture of supposed IWW loyalists. Why do you think there are numbers on their chests?

Sadly, all of those pictured would be shot and killed in the coming weeks...

When Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" takes effect in the 1930s, there are national provisions for labor unions. No longer are laborers scared of joining labor unions, and no longer should they fear executions like the ones experienced in Ludlow. The nation would move on from the "Ludlow Massacre", but up until World War II, Colorado was known for two things: The Sand Creek and Ludlow Massacres.

Q

Step Forward: The 1893 Chicago World's Fair

In 1893, the city of Chicago hosted the "World's Fair" as a celebration of the 400th anniversary of the "Columbian Exploration". Designed, envisioned, and executed by Daniel Burnham, the create of the "Beaux-Arts" style of architecture, the exposition was a monumental success.

Daniel Burnham (third from the left) and his fellow architects in 1893.

In attendance was __________ who would take some of the ideas of Burham's and apply them to his home city of Denver. In an effort to understand the "City Beautiful" movement championed by Burnham and others, let's explore the Chicago World's Fair.

PART 1 - THE 'WINDY CITY' OF FILTHY CHICAGO

In the late 1880s, Chicago, like many other Western cities, was disgustingly dirty. It was described in the following quote:

Chicago got bigger, taller, and richer; but also grew dirtier, darker, and more dangerous. A miasma of cinder-flecked smoke blackened the streets and at times reduced visibility to the distance of a single block, especially in winter, when coal furnaces were in full roar. The ceaseless passage of trains, grip-cars, trolleys, carriages – surreys, landaus, victorias, broughams, phaetons, and hearses, all with iron-clad wheels that struck the pavement like rolling hammers – produced a constant thunder that did not recede until after midnight and made the open-window nights of summer unbearable. In poor neighborhoods garbage mounted in alleys and overflowed giant trashboxes that became banquet halls for rats and bluebottle flies. Billions of flies. The corpses of dogs, cats, and horses often remained where they fell. In January they froze in disheartening poses; in August they ballooned and ruptured. Many ended up in the Chicago River, the city’s main commercial artery. During heavy rains, river water flowed in a greasy plume far out into Lake Michigan, to the towers that marked the intake pipes for the city’s drinking water. In rain any street not paved with macadam oozed a fragrant muck of horse manure, mud, and garbage that swelled between granite blacks like pus from a wound. Chicago awed visitors and terrified them. French editor Octave Uzanne called it “that Gordian city, so excessive, so satanic.” Paul Lindau, an author and publisher described it as “a gigantic peepshow of utter horror, but extraordinarily to the point.”

Burnham had the task of attracting visitors to the disgusting "windy city" (named NOT for the winds, but for the "constant talk and arrogance" of Chicagoans). His plan for the City Beautiful included a "model city" of human achievement. It was noted that "the Fair led our people out of the wilderness of the commonplace to the new ideas of architectural beauty and nobility".

Examine the map of the World's Fair below or click here to see a larger picture:

To a "savage" Western-dweller, what parts of his "city" are "beautiful"? In other words, what are important things a "city beautiful" must have?

Let's examine one of the most important features, the "Wooded Island".

The bottom picture shows the island today, still very much in use. According to Burnham, the Fair was to have "an aura of mysterious poetic effect." What is the point of constructing and island for travelers to visit? Secondly, what kinds of thing(s) do you think were on that island?

Fun fact: Indians were to be on the island! They were supposed to be like the "first natives" that Columbus encountered, and according to the story, were supposed "peer cautiously at [visitors] while shouting incoherently and running to and fro."

Also supposed to attract visitors was the Horticulture Building and Gardens, shown below.

Frederick Law Olmstead, another famous American architect and designer, sought to create "...not flower beds and ornamental gardens, but expanses of scenery full of mystery, shadow, and sun-stippled ground". Burnham was paid an equivalent of $360,000 to design the fair, and Olmstead was not that far behind. Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Books and others said that Chicagoans were "savages...Having seen [Chicago], I desire never to see it again." Burnham and others sought to change this.

And lastly, perhaps the most important, were the awe-inspiring visual attractions of tremendous height and significance. Greeting the was "Big Mary" also called "The Statue of the Republic".

Standing over 111 feet tall, "Big Mary" stood at the front of the entrance (the Peristyle), right on the water where steamships could bring visitors. Fireworks were projected right behind her towering frame.

But the Fair was remembered almost solely for one thing: the Ferris wheel. Constructed by George Ferris, it was to rival France's Eiffel Tower, which has been built in the 1889 World's Fair. It was supposed to be taller (264 feet), use more steel (146,000 pounds), and actually allow visitors to enjoy it by riding in it (a 20 minute ride)! Said one rider, "The sight is so inspiring that all conversation stopped, as all were lost in admiration of this grand sight. The equal of it I have never seen, and I doubt very much if I shall again."

Sadly, in one incident, one of the cars did break free, sending people plummeting to the ground. One man was killed, and three others injured. It earned an estimated $200,000 in ticket revenue, but never recovered the cost of constructing it.

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So, what does this all mean for Colorado? Well, __________ was in attendance, and saw an opportunity. By 1919, Denver was to have its own "city beautiful", much like the one Chicago had perfected.

Firstly, examine the panorama photo of Denver. Click here for a larger picture. In what ways is our city similar to the image at the top of the page, Chicago's World's Fair? What do both images include?

One of the dreams of __________'s city was to include a Greek inspired Capitol Building, much like the columns and structure found behind "Big Mary". Completed in 1894, the Denver Capitol Building was the crown jewel of __________'s dream.

Second in importance was the construction of the U.S. Mint and Denver Library (by way of a grant from industrialist Andrew Carnegie).

One of __________'s greatest visions was to have wide boulevards for people to drive their cars. In fact, Mt. Evans, named for John Evans of Denver-fame, is the highest paved road in the world at over 14,000 feet.

And lastly, perhaps Denver's greatest visions of "City Beautiful" comes in the form of parks and natural beauty. __________ ordered the "Keep Off the Grass" signs to be removed from all roadside parks, as he believed people needed a place to relax and recline. He constructed drinking fountains (so people wouldn't be thirsty for alcohol), walkways along the Cherry Creek River, and the city of Denver is even credited with the first official "crosswalk", invented by Henry Barnes, who called his crossing "The Barnes Dance". In looking at the city entrance below, what other forms of "transportation" could be found in "City Beautiful Denver"?

__________ left Cheeseman Park as his lasting legacy. A place where people could recline and relax. Again, constructed with the Greeks in mind, the perfect replica of the Greek temple was built of out solid Colorado white marble. Denver started out as a lawless dystopia, second only to San Francisco in terms of sin. But it ended as one of the perfect examples of the legacy of "City Beautiful".

Colorado and Slavery

The Identity Crisis of the Centennial State

Directions: Using the accompanying images of maps and pictures, answer the questions below.

PART I – COLORADO TERRITORY

1. Examine the territorial maps below. Over time, in what areas / territories has Colorado been incorporated (found inside)?

2. Colorado went from being located in a region of “Free States and Territories” to a region of “Slavery Determined by Popular Sovereignty” in 1854.

PREDICT: What kinds of problems do you think the Colorado Territory will experience in regard to slavery?

3. Examine the hydrology map below. This map was created by William Gilpin (there’s a city and country in Colorado named after him…) in 1848. On what part of the country do the concentric circles focus?

4. William Gilpin argued that the American West was destined to be the next center of civilization, noting that world history had progressed through a succession of empires, moving westward from Asia to America. Examine the “close up” map below. What is attractive to others about the region of Colorado?

5. ANALYSIS: Knowing a little bit about geography, what’s inaccurate about this map? (HINT: Note the name of the “basin”.)

6. Examine the Kansas map below. What’s the difference between Western Kansas and Eastern Kansas? ANALYSIS: In the late 1850s, Kansas will actually “cut off” the Western part of their territory before becoming a state. Why?

PART II –COLORADO STATEHOOD

7. In 1861, the United States entered the Civil War. In 1863, the state of Nevada entered the Union on the side of the North, not the territory of Colorado which was organized first. In examining the picture below, why do you think Nevada was added before Colorado? (HINT: Who’s seated around the table?)

8. Eventually, in 1876, the territory of Colorado became a state. Examine the Google map below and look at the names of the streets around the Denver capital. Do you recognize any names of famous people? List them here. (Click here if you need to make it bigger...)

9. ANALYSIS: With names like “Lincoln”, “Sherman”, and “Grant”, what does this say about the state of Colorado and their government loyalties?

10. Examine the last three images. In front of the Colorado Capitol Building, finished in 1908, a debate raged over statue placement. Originally, in honor of the declining Native American population in Colorado, sculptor Preston Powers created the “Closing Era” statue and awarded it to the government-associated Fortnightly Club. But it was placed on the eastern side of the building, and not the western side. Why do you think this was so? (HINT: Think of the metaphors of “east” and “west”.

11. Instead, a statue of a Union soldier was built by Captain John D. Howland in 1909. It was placed on the western side of the Capitol Building. Why? (HINT: What “sets” in the West, and what is the importance of this?)

12. CONCLUSION: John A. Logan, who is the namesake for Logan Street in Denver, “created” Memorial Day as a May holiday in honor of the fallen dead in the Civil War. Part of his speech reads:

“We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance [holy determination]. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the Nation can add to their adornment [honor] and security is but a fitting tribute [a creation of a holiday] to the memory of her slain defenders.”

In reading this quote, what is the relationship between Colorado and the Civil War / slavery?