NOT SOLD (BIDDING OVER)
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This item WAS NOT SOLD. Auction date was 2021 Nov 20 @ 08:00UTC-8 : PST/AKDT
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Leadville Receipt Book Uncovers More Information on the Deadly WFM Leadville Strike of 1896-7
By Fred N. Holabird
Overview
Approximate 1000 receipt stubs in a book from Dec. 16, 1896-Feb. 13, 1897. This ledger leads the professional researcher down a road that makes understanding the need to collect Western Americana very important. At first glance, all we have is a receipt stub book. But the contents tell us so much more- the amounts of coal delivered (when, and how), who to, and what was happening during this time locally. The summary of all the parts is nothing short of fantastic.
It may be impossible without digging deeply at the CHS to discover exactly what coal company is the source of this record. At the time, Colorado was a major coal producer, and it makes sense that there were a number of major coal companies doing business in Leadville in the 1890s. But this coal company was special, and you'll see why shortly.
Details of the Book
The entries in the book tell us that day in, and day out during the December to January period (1896-7), this company sent out about 20 deliveries per day, all of about 2 1/2 tons each. This is a standard wagon load in the mining world. But- it is in the dead middle of winter- with perhaps three to ten feet of snow on the ground! That's major business during a very tough time to operate.
The company was shipping coal to several mines: The Johnnie, Catalpa, Mahala, Bison, Seneca, New Elkhorn, Monarch and more. The Johnnie, was a very important mine- located on Ibex Mining Co. property, a name used after the consolidation of many properties. Indeed, the Little Johnnie is world-renown, as the discovery of Johnny Brown, the husband of the "Unsinkable Mollie Brown." They were also shipping to several mine assay offices, indicating work was going on at other mines. These included the assay offices at the Morning Star, Johnnie and more. Very little of the coal was shipped domestically within the Leadville merchant district. The few places where deliveries took place were various boarding houses (Resurrection, Bishop's, Midnight). The only other domestic delivery was the Herald Democrat's office.
Leadville at the Time
In the background, there was a major recession in 1893 across the west. Silver had been devalued. Production was way down in mines across the West including the Comstock Lode in Nevada and especially at Leadville. Miners had to take a pay cut from $3 per day to $2.50. During the heat of production in the 1880s, some mines had paid miners as high as $3.50 per day. The wage increase garnered the attention of the Western Federation of Miners, formed in 1893, who had organized mine workers three years before in Cripple Creek, and had been the force behind a mine worker strike there in 1894. The local miners union, The Cloud City Miners Union, joined forces with the WFM. The WFM struck in Leadville on June 19, 1896. It lasted until March 9, 1897. This receipt book is right in the middle of that. What happened?
The WFM Strikes
The WFM called a strike, and 968 out of approximately 1200 miners walked off the job June 20, 1896, bringing production to a standstill. All hell broke loose. Several mines tried to keep operating. About early September, the WFM attacked the Small Hopes, Emmett, Coronado and Maid of Erin mines and three men were killed. Leadville essentially shut down. It was reported in several sources that the banks and businesses closed in September, with many or most remaining closed until early in the following year. However, many did their best to remain open. “The city was placed under control of a provost guard of Military police” on September 25, as reported in the Engineering and Mining Journal (E & MJ).
Sealey Mudd, one of the mine owners, and a major mine financier associated with the Guggenheims, suggested bringing in lead miners from Joplin, a major lead mining region in Missouri. Once the “scab” miners arrived, it was war. Missouri lead miners began pouring in in September, continuing every month. 100 Joplin miners arrived on September 25th for the Emmett, Small Hopes and Marion mines. The Emmett had operated as a non-union mine all along. The Federal Government brought in the militia in September to try to control the fray, but the WFM simply got more vigilant, violent and deadly.
The WFM began by burning down houses of strike breakers. Then they attacked mines, blowing up several. “An attempt was made to blow up the works at the Coronado mine. Much damage was done, several lives were lost and a reign of terror ensued. The Governor of Colorado has ordered the troops to Leadville,” wrote a columnist for the Mining and Scientific Press in late September, 1896.
The National Guard was called in September, 1896. They established Camp McIntyrre on the Leadville baseball fields. The National Guard established outposts at several mines. These were the Ibex (Johnnie), Maid of Erin, Emmett and Resurrection mines.
Over the next few months, chaos ruled the day. A visiting British journalist noted: “No Surrender, No Compromise, No Pity” was the attitude, which created a “grim standoff.” “The owners mean to starve the miners to death, the miners mean to blow the owners to atoms,” commented the journalist, G. W. Stevens.
In October, the importation of Joplin miners continued. “Another party of miners from Joplin, Missouri numbering 175 men will arrive here next Monday” as reported on October 16th to the Engineering and Mining Journal. By December, “there was no change in the strike situation. Despite the fact that the miners here see new miners coming in every month and take their jobs, they are still holding on. … “It will take many years to recover from the damage which has been done.”
Christmas was not the usual fare. In the past year alone, the annual Christmas Ice Palace had been a hit. But this Christmas was only local chaos. Most men wanted to go back to work by December, but were afraid of the union, noted author E. Blair. The day after Christmas, the Engineering and Mining Journal noted that the Union was running out of money, and had begun paying striking miners $5 per week instead of the customary $10 per week.
This ledger shows strong and regular deliveries to the mines mentioned earlier. How did this happen in the middle of the strike? Easy- The National Guard established those outposts to protect mines that had been attacked. The Ibex was one of them, which owned the Johnnie claims and shafts. The Malhala and Bison were among the others. With the National Guard “militia” stationed on property, the miners went back to work. The E & MJ reported on October 3: “The most important step is that taken by the Ibex MC. These people will employ over 300 men, and they are putting up a high fence, fully a mile in length, preparatory to resuming.” The article further reported they will pay the experienced miners $3/day. Others reported as reopening along with the Ibex were the Mahala and Bison, both well represented in this ledger. They were some of the few protected. This coal company served the “protected” mines.
At least six men were killed during the strike between December and January, which did not end until March. This ledger book was written right during the most deadly period of the labor strike.
Were all the other mines shown in the ledger protected by the militia? Certainly the three most prominent mines mentioned were protected – the Ibex, Malhala and Bison. Were they operated by Missouri miners who were strike-breakers or scabs? Only more research will tell.
The lack of deliveries to general businesses supports, in part, the fact that part of the town was “shut down”, as reported. The ledger shows deliveries to about three different boarding houses, but no other Leadville businesses. Were these boarding houses housing the militia?
This ledger is a classic piece of Americana that tells an important tale- one of Leadville economics, the entry of a major miners union, the violence and death that resulted from one of many western WFM strikes, and how a mine could survive during one such instance. This lot is easily worthy of a major collection.
References: Mining & Scientific Press, Sept. 26, 1896, p255; Engineering and Mining Journal, there are 41 entries for 1896 alone. Specific quotes from these were taken from Sept. 26, 1896 p 304, Oct 3, 1896 p328, Oct 17, 1896 p375, Dec. 19, 1896 p589, Dec. 26, 1896 p613; Blair, E.; Leadville, Colorado’s Magic City, 1980; Lucas, J. Anthony, Big Trouble, 1997 Stevens, G.W., The Land of the Dollar, 1898 as quoted in Lucas. It should be noted there are very differing reports of the massive damage done by the WFM in various references, including how many men were killed between June, 1896 and March, 1897.
Auction Location:
3555 Airway Drive Suite 309, Reno, Nevada, 89511, United States
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Nevada State Sales Tax
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| NSST |
8.265% |
Nevada Sales Tax |
| CSST |
8% |
California Sales Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
25% |
Additional Fees:
| Fee | Amount | Applicable Locations | Applied To |
| Handling |
5.00
|
Not Applicable
|
This fee applies to the total of the invoice
|
Shipping Details:
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This is a Live Auction conducted by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC (HWAC).
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