On February 7, 1894, a miners’ strike led by the Western Federation of Miners began in Cripple Creek, Colorado.
The strike occurred on the heels of the Panic of 1893 which caused the price of silver to crash but left the price of gold relatively high. Gold had been discovered near Cripple Creek three years earlier, and in the wake of the Panic, miners began flooding the area. By the time of the strike there were more than 150 active mines.
The conflict began when mine owners lengthened the miners’ work day without increasing wages. Miners complained, and the owners retaliated by offering to retain the eight-hour work day but decrease compensation from $3.00 a day to $2.50.
The strike escalated through February, March, and April. In May, the mine owners raised a private army, and in response, the miners armed and organized themselves under the direction of Junius J. Johnson. They built a fort at Bull Hill, and further attacks were characterized by firefights and dynamite explosions.
In June, the state militia, who had previously assessed the situation in March, returned to Cripple Creek in support of the striking miners, which shortly brought the conflict to a close. The Cripple Creek strike proved a major victory for the labor movement, and the Western Federation of Miners gained considerable power and influence in the following years.
Opening History is a rich resource for major events in the American labor movement, and the Heritage West collection provides an intimate portrait of the miners’ strike at Cripple Creek, Colorado.
[…] in Cripple Creek, Colorado begin a five-month strike today in 1894. In response to the falling price of silver, management increased the workday to 10 hours without […]