Abstract
Recent stabilization work at the Ludlow Massacre Site National Historic Landmark revealed new insights into memorialization activities over time. The site commemorates a battle between striking miners and the Colorado National Guard which culminated in the destruction of a striking miners ‘tent colony by fire causing the deaths of two women and eleven children in a cellar. The United Mine Workers of America erected a monument and preserved that cellar in cement sometime after 1918. Unexpected finds encountered during preservation work on the cellar raise issues related to collective memory, memorialization, and scale. These finds offer new understandings of changes made at the site by the strikers and the UMWA since the massacre in 1914.
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Data Availability
Archaeological collections related to excavations at the Ludlow Tent Colony Site NHL are curated at the Seyhan Dwelis Curation Facility in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs under a Memorandum of Agreement with the United Mine Workers of America. The United Mine Workers of America photographic, graphic, and artifacts collection and archives are curated at Penn State University Libraries in the Eberly Family Special Collections Library.
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Acknowledgments
Archaeological investigations associated with the 2021 cellar stabilization project at the Ludlow Tent Colony Site National Historic Landmark could not have been accomplished without the help of a great many people and funding sources. This project was made possible by funding from the Colorado State Historical Fund, Peter Grant Preservation Services Fund for Colorado of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, and the United Mine Workers of America. In partnership with UMWA, Colorado Preservation, Inc. (CPI) helped secure funds from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and administered it along with the SHF grant.
Bob Butero, Region 4 Director for the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), provides excellent stewardship of the NHL and is an immensely valued partner in preserving, interpreting, and protecting the history and site associated with Ludlow. Amie Gray and Kimberly Bailey with AK Pioneer Consulting partnered with Dr. Larkin and Dr. Minette Church to excavate test units associated with a significant feature. UCCS Anthropology students and alumni volunteered their time to commute to the site and assist with shovel testing, monitoring, and screening. Thank you, Sophia Zanoni, Alaric Sollenberger, Eric Wall, Michael Deliberti, and Jenna David. Ms. Zanoni did a great job mapping a new cellar feature. Laura Vernon with IDS GeoRadar North America conducted non-intrusive ground penetrating radar at the site. Ms. Vernon’s assessment and data helped throughout the course of the project in an earnest effort to avoid and minimize potential impacts to subsurface features.
Technical expertise provided by Barbara Darden and Bruce Darden (Scheuber + Darden Architects) as well as Andy Carlson and Mike Sherwood (A&M Renovations) led to the successful planning of this project and its implementation. In collaboration with UMWA, Scheuber + Darden Architects also helped secure project funding from the Colorado State Historical Fund. Professional mechanical excavation was carried out by Las Animas County. John Lucero, provided excavation skills onsite and Phil Dorenkamp volunteered administrative support. John Olson [current NPS Heritage Partnerships Program (HPP) historical architect] and Tom Keohan (retired NPS HPP historical architect) provided technical expertise that helped the project take shape and progress with the integrity of the cellar in mind. Charles Haecker (retired NPS HPP archaeologist) also provided guidance. Matthew Marques with the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office and Katie Arntzen with the Colorado State Historical fund provided valuable feedback on reports and fieldwork recommendations.
Funding
This project was made possible by funding from the Colorado State Historical Fund Project # 2020-01-037, Peter Grant Preservation Services Fund for Colorado of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, and the United Mine Workers of America. In partnership with UMWA, Colorado Preservation, Inc. (CPI) helped secure funds from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and administered it along with the SHF grant.
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Larkin, K., Bauer, S. Memorialization and Social Memory at the Ludlow Massacre Site. Int J Histor Archaeol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-024-00733-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-024-00733-x