Today marks the 114th anniversary of the Monongah Mine Disaster, the worst mining disaster in American history. 362 people lost their lives, many of whom were immigrants.
This was just one of a string of disasters that struck coal mines across the United States within the next 30 days. 4 more coal mine explosions happened in December of 1907, marking it the most deadly month in coal mining history.
On December 1st of 1907, 35 miners died at the Naomi Mines in Fayette City, Pennsylvania. On December 16th, 35 more passed away at the Yolande Mine in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. 239 miners were killed on December 19th at the Darr Mine in Van Meter, Pennsylvania. And lastly, 11 were killed on New Years Eve at the Bernal Mine in Carthage, New Mexico.
Sadly, the mistreatment of workers and their appalling labor conditions continued on, leading to the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, where 10,000 mine workers–immigrant and native-born, Black and white–banded together to fight for their rights as laborers and as humans during the West Virginia Mine Wars.
Today, we remember the lives taken in this string of devastating events on National Miners Day. We thank and honor the skilled, hardworking, and inspiring coal miners–both past and present–who have powered the American Labor Movement and our country with their backbreaking labor. #NationalMinersDay
(Photo from WV Public Broadcasting)
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