Hey everyone. This is my final video on the West Virginia Mine Wars. I hope you found this interesting and helpful in your work. I'm thinking about doing more history videos and I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. Are there events I should cover in my next series? Leave your ideas below and let's continue the conversation.
I ENJOYED THIS. HOWEVER, YOU MADE A MISTAKE ON THIS FRAME. THIS IS REV. JAMES E. WILBURN. THIS IS MY HUSBANDS GRANDFATHER. JOHN P. WILBURN IS THE SON HIS 3RD BORN SON IS JOHN P. WILBURN.
@cindywilburn5234 thanks for letting me know. I’ve enjoyed meeting the family members of those involved as a result of this series and I appreciate that their stories live on with you today. I have several more of these videos on the buildup to the Mine Wars that you might enjoy. I also have history videos up on Kentucky’s Red River Gorge with more on the way! Thanks for watching!!!
I quietly wonder if we may see, in the next few years, a rise in unionization and the acknowledgement of workers collective rights as a reaction to our current economic conditions. Thanks for supporting the channel and the Mine Wars series!
Not all unions are good. I belonged to a union UFCW when I was 18 they negotiated strong contracts and looked out for the workers. Later I belonged to TSEU (Texas State Employees Union) who were so focused on politics that they failed fulfill their obligations of attracting members and taking care of the workers.
This is a great point David. Frances Fox Piven and Richard Clower have written historical accounts of how organizations and peoples movements can be co-opted by leadership seeking power and resources. We do have to keep that in mind with union history. Thanks for supporting the channel! Please share with your fellow workers and labor community.
Your comment about Chafin replacing the Baldwin-Felts agents with his own constables. He was taking kickbacks from the mines himself and had the power of law behind him. It was in the companies interest to have him in charge of that area.
Thanks for sharing that and good point. It does make sense in retrospect that Chafin would have been ideal for the operators given his close ties to the region and his networks there. He really was the big power broker in this scenario. Thanks for watching! Appreciate the feedback.
@bryanleepeterson ooh that could be fun. Is this the Missouri/Iowa Honey War you’re thinking of? By chance I have some prior interests in Missouri history, so yeah I could look into that.
My dad was born in Dingess in Mingo County and mom was born in Mudfork in Logan County they both lost their fathers to mine accidents don't know much about dads but mom's was at the Holden 22 mine disaster where 18 men lost their lives in 1960 ,dad was born in 1927 he was a bit older than mom he didn't speak about his dad not sure when his dad died and i often wonder if his dad was involved in the mine war because dad was big in the union where he retired after 40 year at Columbus coated fabrics in Columbus OH he was president and vice president for a number of years
Also I think people may get the wrong idea when you say inserection due to what happened in Washington on January 6th because this had not to due with the government until they sent troops to stop the bloodshed this was basically slavery for the people working for the large company's because they owned everything , the stores the houses and the money they paid out to them that could only be spent in there stores and if a miner was killed for any reason accidents or just died of a heart attack and he was married with children they had to leave their homes or the widow would have to married another miner to stay in the home, it's funny to me people complaining today about pay when mom as a child was thankfull to get apples and oranges for Christmas, could you imagine how people would be today if that was the case that's why they took too arms again the company's hired guns 🤷♂️
@billmeade9029 thanks for sharing their stories here. Logan’s and Mingo’s histories are amazing and yet too often tragic. But I think that is my favorite part of history: understanding how individuals live their lives within historical events and conditions beyond our control. It gives us clarity in thinking about how we live our lives today and connects us with our roots. Thanks for sharing too your mom’s experiences with the Holden 22 disaster. Holden was also near the Buffalo Creek disaster in the early 70s. If she lived in the area then she might also have memories of that experience. Thanks for watching. You might also enjoy my history videos on Kentucky’s Red River Gorge and I have more on the way.
Agreed, it’s difficult to compare historical events and treat them as too similar as the conditions in which they occur (especially in this case) are so different. I’m thinking about doing a video on the Elverton WV strike in the New River Gorge. It has a similarly tragic outcome in that the one miner who died after crossing the picket line to work was ruled to have died of non-mining causes (gunshot) and therefore his family was not allowed to receive death benefits from the company. He was shot coming out of the mine after working his shift.
@dr.maples this was the first time I saw your Chanel, page or whatever it's called but I am a new follower 👍I was born in 66 in Columbus and in 76 moved just south of it in the what we call country, both mom and dad lived out there days here But I am actually looking for a piece of ground down in or around Logan or Mingo County right now to put a small place to live out my days I love it there I'm disabled from a broken neck and no longer work because of it , I know there isn't much work there but don't have to worry about it, and I look forward to seeing more of your content and I will look up some from the past thanks for keeping the history alive 👍
@billmeade9029 likewise I appreciate you keeping your family’s history there alive. Our ancestors live in in our stories. I have long had an interest in this region of WV and spent the last decade living in eastern KY. I’m glad to share what I’ve learned in my time there and honored to hear the history of the people who lived through these events. I will add if you haven’t read Bloodletting in Appalachia I do recommend it. You would value the history as I do. It is available on Amazon and you can often find copies in WV. I originally found mine in Tamarack of all places. The book is by Howard Lee. He also had a great book on the oil boom in Burning Springs that I highly recommend. You might also enjoy my book on the history of Kentucky’s Red River Gorge which is available on Amazon. Thanks for subscribing!
THIS IS A MISTAKE. THIS IS REV. JAMES E. WILBURN. HIS SON IS JOHN P. WILBURN. THE PICTURE ABOVE IS REV. JAMES WILBURN. HE IS THE ONE WHO SAID THIS. THIS IS MY HUSBANDS GRANDFATHER.
I will have to double check but I think Lee may have mistaken this in his book on the Mine Wars as well. It has been an honor to work through his riveting book (Bloodletting in Appalachia) over the last decade plus in my own research on mining history. It has made me further appreciate his research given how difficult it would have been to organize historical accounts of an event as it happened. And humbling enough I have found a few errors like the one you mention here where newspapers and accounts of the Mine Wars initially made the mistake and Lee recounted their findings. Look forward to digging into this further. Thanks again for watching! I hope you will check out the rest of the series as well.
@@dr.maples I did see the mistakes in the newspaper also. I actually have a picture of James in jail sitting on a rocking chair. Also a picture of John when he was young. I wish I would've met him and the other Wilburns. I got into the Wilburn family in 2003. lol. I do know one thing they all stick together. You don't see that too much anymore. I never read any books on the war. However, I do want to come down to see the museum since I know its there now. I'm hoping in the summer after the boys are out of school. Thanks for writing back. I actually inherited some things from my father in law when he died. Thanks for writing back. Have a good one.
Yes! Great autobiography from the man himself. For this particular video series I was teaching a class using Howard Lee’s book but supplemented with additional sources.
@@dr.maples I can't thank you enough for doing this series! My family talked the world of Fred. He was my mothers Pawpaw, which makes me his Great Great Grandson. He died 19 years before i was born but he left a lasting memory on my family. Truth be told my favorite part of his life was when after he beat the treason charges he just kind of gave up and wandered a few years out west. Thank you!
@billk2742 I’m so glad to hear this! I enjoy connecting with folks whose families lived this history and who have this connection to the amazing history of this region. Celebrate it!
I have to ask this question. Burning desire my new friend. Where do you stand upon the miners claim that they used "bleach bombs" ie left over world war 1 chlorine gas chemical munitions and the governments "official" claim that Billy Mitchell was just personally doing "reconnaissance?" I think the guy who was so predisposed to prove the efficacy of using "air power" to quell civil disturbances, the same guy who proved to the navy you could sink a battleship with aerial bombs. you know the Father of the United States Airforce... Always had a bone to pick. Didnt they do that chemical test with bomb fragments years ago off the Matewan museum relics? I personally think the US government dropped chemical weapons upon my people using the military. What do you think?
This is a great question. My sense is that it's complicated and we don't have ideal records. Based on what I've read and learned about Mitchell, I suspect he was in a situation where he wanted to prove this newfangled air corps was legitimate and a useful weapon of war (and therefore a sound investment). I'm less certain (but also not able to refute claims) about his use of chemical warfare. I am apt to believe claims that those were leftover munitions as they seemed largely ineffective (and indeed we have photos of one that didn't even detonate as I recall). I haven't read any studies noting the chemical tests, but with newer technology measuring impossibly small traces of chemical compounds it would be an interesting research project for the right person to revisit. Thanks for asking this question! It's a great example of the power dynamics of politics in the coalfields.
As a follow up, you might really enjoy looking up a book from the early 1980s called Power and Powerlessness by John Gaventa. It's a book on the power struggle of miners in West Virginia and Kentucky.
Hey everyone. This is my final video on the West Virginia Mine Wars. I hope you found this interesting and helpful in your work. I'm thinking about doing more history videos and I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. Are there events I should cover in my next series? Leave your ideas below and let's continue the conversation.
I ENJOYED THIS. HOWEVER, YOU MADE A MISTAKE ON THIS FRAME. THIS IS REV. JAMES E. WILBURN. THIS IS MY HUSBANDS GRANDFATHER. JOHN P. WILBURN IS THE SON HIS 3RD BORN SON IS JOHN P. WILBURN.
@cindywilburn5234 thanks for letting me know. I’ve enjoyed meeting the family members of those involved as a result of this series and I appreciate that their stories live on with you today.
I have several more of these videos on the buildup to the Mine Wars that you might enjoy. I also have history videos up on Kentucky’s Red River Gorge with more on the way! Thanks for watching!!!
@@dr.maples Thanks for telling me. I'll be looking them up.
I really appreciate seeing someone doing this.
I’m so glad to share this fascinating history with others and humbled to be the storyteller. Thanks for watching! Hope you enjoy the series.
I would fight and die for my union, other unions & the worker's right to organize! My heart is with the worker's struggle. Solidarity!
I quietly wonder if we may see, in the next few years, a rise in unionization and the acknowledgement of workers collective rights as a reaction to our current economic conditions. Thanks for supporting the channel and the Mine Wars series!
Not all unions are good. I belonged to a union UFCW when I was 18 they negotiated strong contracts and looked out for the workers. Later I belonged to TSEU (Texas State Employees Union) who were so focused on politics that they failed fulfill their obligations of attracting members and taking care of the workers.
This is a great point David. Frances Fox Piven and Richard Clower have written historical accounts of how organizations and peoples movements can be co-opted by leadership seeking power and resources. We do have to keep that in mind with union history. Thanks for supporting the channel! Please share with your fellow workers and labor community.
Your comment about Chafin replacing the Baldwin-Felts agents with his own constables. He was taking kickbacks from the mines himself and had the power of law behind him. It was in the companies interest to have him in charge of that area.
Thanks for sharing that and good point. It does make sense in retrospect that Chafin would have been ideal for the operators given his close ties to the region and his networks there. He really was the big power broker in this scenario. Thanks for watching! Appreciate the feedback.
The battle of Blair Mountain
Ah! Fixed the title. Thanks for spotting that. 😁
Never forget Mother Jones and the Hero Miners of West Virginia! The Day of the Worker is coming!
@joey thanks for watching and supporting the channel! Please share the Mine Wars series with others!
I’d love to see an in depth video about the Honey Wars.
@bryanleepeterson ooh that could be fun. Is this the Missouri/Iowa Honey War you’re thinking of? By chance I have some prior interests in Missouri history, so yeah I could look into that.
My dad was born in Dingess in Mingo County and mom was born in Mudfork in Logan County they both lost their fathers to mine accidents don't know much about dads but mom's was at the Holden 22 mine disaster where 18 men lost their lives in 1960 ,dad was born in 1927 he was a bit older than mom he didn't speak about his dad not sure when his dad died and i often wonder if his dad was involved in the mine war because dad was big in the union where he retired after 40 year at Columbus coated fabrics in Columbus OH he was president and vice president for a number of years
Also I think people may get the wrong idea when you say inserection due to what happened in Washington on January 6th because this had not to due with the government until they sent troops to stop the bloodshed this was basically slavery for the people working for the large company's because they owned everything , the stores the houses and the money they paid out to them that could only be spent in there stores and if a miner was killed for any reason accidents or just died of a heart attack and he was married with children they had to leave their homes or the widow would have to married another miner to stay in the home, it's funny to me people complaining today about pay when mom as a child was thankfull to get apples and oranges for Christmas, could you imagine how people would be today if that was the case that's why they took too arms again the company's hired guns 🤷♂️
@billmeade9029 thanks for sharing their stories here. Logan’s and Mingo’s histories are amazing and yet too often tragic. But I think that is my favorite part of history: understanding how individuals live their lives within historical events and conditions beyond our control. It gives us clarity in thinking about how we live our lives today and connects us with our roots.
Thanks for sharing too your mom’s experiences with the Holden 22 disaster. Holden was also near the Buffalo Creek disaster in the early 70s. If she lived in the area then she might also have memories of that experience. Thanks for watching. You might also enjoy my history videos on Kentucky’s Red River Gorge and I have more on the way.
Agreed, it’s difficult to compare historical events and treat them as too similar as the conditions in which they occur (especially in this case) are so different.
I’m thinking about doing a video on the Elverton WV strike in the New River Gorge. It has a similarly tragic outcome in that the one miner who died after crossing the picket line to work was ruled to have died of non-mining causes (gunshot) and therefore his family was not allowed to receive death benefits from the company. He was shot coming out of the mine after working his shift.
@dr.maples this was the first time I saw your Chanel, page or whatever it's called but I am a new follower 👍I was born in 66 in Columbus and in 76 moved just south of it in the what we call country, both mom and dad lived out there days here
But I am actually looking for a piece of ground down in or around Logan or Mingo County right now to put a small place to live out my days I love it there I'm disabled from a broken neck and no longer work because of it , I know there isn't much work there but don't have to worry about it, and I look forward to seeing more of your content and I will look up some from the past thanks for keeping the history alive 👍
@billmeade9029 likewise I appreciate you keeping your family’s history there alive. Our ancestors live in in our stories. I have long had an interest in this region of WV and spent the last decade living in eastern KY. I’m glad to share what I’ve learned in my time there and honored to hear the history of the people who lived through these events. I will add if you haven’t read Bloodletting in Appalachia I do recommend it. You would value the history as I do. It is available on Amazon and you can often find copies in WV. I originally found mine in Tamarack of all places. The book is by Howard Lee. He also had a great book on the oil boom in Burning Springs that I highly recommend. You might also enjoy my book on the history of Kentucky’s Red River Gorge which is available on Amazon. Thanks for subscribing!
THIS IS A MISTAKE. THIS IS REV. JAMES E. WILBURN. HIS SON IS JOHN P. WILBURN. THE PICTURE ABOVE IS REV. JAMES WILBURN. HE IS THE ONE WHO SAID THIS. THIS IS MY HUSBANDS GRANDFATHER.
I will have to double check but I think Lee may have mistaken this in his book on the Mine Wars as well. It has been an honor to work through his riveting book (Bloodletting in Appalachia) over the last decade plus in my own research on mining history. It has made me further appreciate his research given how difficult it would have been to organize historical accounts of an event as it happened. And humbling enough I have found a few errors like the one you mention here where newspapers and accounts of the Mine Wars initially made the mistake and Lee recounted their findings. Look forward to digging into this further. Thanks again for watching! I hope you will check out the rest of the series as well.
@@dr.maples I did see the mistakes in the newspaper also. I actually have a picture of James in jail sitting on a rocking chair. Also a picture of John when he was young. I wish I would've met him and the other Wilburns. I got into the Wilburn family in 2003. lol. I do know one thing they all stick together. You don't see that too much anymore. I never read any books on the war. However, I do want to come down to see the museum since I know its there now. I'm hoping in the summer after the boys are out of school. Thanks for writing back. I actually inherited some things from my father in law when he died. Thanks for writing back. Have a good one.
Have you read "struggle in the coal fields" by Fred Mooney? Extreme background of these events.
Yes! Great autobiography from the man himself. For this particular video series I was teaching a class using Howard Lee’s book but supplemented with additional sources.
@@dr.maples I can't thank you enough for doing this series! My family talked the world of Fred. He was my mothers Pawpaw, which makes me his Great Great Grandson. He died 19 years before i was born but he left a lasting memory on my family. Truth be told my favorite part of his life was when after he beat the treason charges he just kind of gave up and wandered a few years out west. Thank you!
@billk2742 I’m so glad to hear this! I enjoy connecting with folks whose families lived this history and who have this connection to the amazing history of this region. Celebrate it!
What does this possum shirt say? I've been trying to figure it out but I'm not sure.
@Angel Cobb It's says "This machine kills fascists". The phrase was popularized by Woody Guthrie in the 1940s during WWII.
@@dr.maples Love it!
I have to ask this question. Burning desire my new friend. Where do you stand upon the miners claim that they used "bleach bombs" ie left over world war 1 chlorine gas chemical munitions and the governments "official" claim that Billy Mitchell was just personally doing "reconnaissance?" I think the guy who was so predisposed to prove the efficacy of using "air power" to quell civil disturbances, the same guy who proved to the navy you could sink a battleship with aerial bombs. you know the Father of the United States Airforce... Always had a bone to pick.
Didnt they do that chemical test with bomb fragments years ago off the Matewan museum relics? I personally think the US government dropped chemical weapons upon my people using the military.
What do you think?
This is a great question. My sense is that it's complicated and we don't have ideal records. Based on what I've read and learned about Mitchell, I suspect he was in a situation where he wanted to prove this newfangled air corps was legitimate and a useful weapon of war (and therefore a sound investment). I'm less certain (but also not able to refute claims) about his use of chemical warfare. I am apt to believe claims that those were leftover munitions as they seemed largely ineffective (and indeed we have photos of one that didn't even detonate as I recall). I haven't read any studies noting the chemical tests, but with newer technology measuring impossibly small traces of chemical compounds it would be an interesting research project for the right person to revisit. Thanks for asking this question! It's a great example of the power dynamics of politics in the coalfields.
As a follow up, you might really enjoy looking up a book from the early 1980s called Power and Powerlessness by John Gaventa. It's a book on the power struggle of miners in West Virginia and Kentucky.
Also if you believe Keeney and Mooney had those tickets punched on that train themselves i have a bridge to sell you.
Haha