THE MINE WARS

In 1920, a group of West Virginia coal miners, previously fired for being union members, faced off against ruthless enforcers and mine guards.

In the battle that followed against the Stone Mountain Coal Company, several men were killed. This was not the first incident in what was a decadeslong struggle spearheaded by the United Mine Workers of America to unionize the state’s coal fields. The mine owners and operators had complete control of every aspect of miners’ lives; they had no regard for job safety and used unscrupulous practices to cheat the miners at every turn. The miners were paid in scrip that they could only use at company stores, and rent for company housing was deducted from their pay. They faced poverty, brutality, and political corruption. In this meticulously researched treatise, Watkins compellingly details the struggles for union recognition—as well as violent battles, courtroom dramas, near-victories, and devastating losses—while providing clear, detailed information about people on both sides and using photos, newspaper articles, and quotes to great advantage. The exploration of relationships between white, Black, and European immigrant miners is fascinating; mine owners hoped to “divide and conquer,” but the men who worked together eventually “became friends aboveground,” finding a common cause. Watkins calls out politicians and mining companies for deliberately quashing mention of this history in school curricula and even presenting a false narrative in a book that remains on classroom and library shelves in West Virginia to this day.

Fascinating and powerful.