Calumet was once a bustling and booming City located in the wilds of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, located next to Lake Superior. The secret of Calumet lay in its mines, where vast deposits of rich ore made the region a chief supplier of copper. Calumet was also grand. In 1900 an opera house opened and become one of the nations most renown.
Churches along with schoolhouses and libraries were plentiful. Calumet was the greatest commercial and social hub in its region. However, all the good aspects of Calumet would not last forever. The Copper industry would plunge into difficult times, followed by worker resentment and organized strikes.
The Calumet and Hecla Mining Company controlled the richest metal mine on earth. The company was at the core of Calumet's “company town,” as the C&H controlled all the land, leased all houses to its employees, provided free water from Lake Superior, rented out property for stores, schools, and churches. While the times were good for the company, the company provided for Calumet. Bathhouses and parks were built, along with hospitals and libraries. During the 1870's the C&H refined almost ninety-seven pounds of metal for each ton of ore mined, a peak during the company's best year.
The good times did not last for the C&H. In 1900 the average dropped to fifty-three pounds of metal for each ton of ore mined, the figure half of what it was during peak times. Mines needed to be dug further and conditions were getting much more dangerous, especially with the introduction of the one-man drill. The new drill system sparked worker resentment and fear for their lives. In addition workers knew there was better pay and fewer hours in Montana copper fields. Overcoming vast ethnic barriers to unite against the C&H, the miners joined the Western Federation of Miners. The strike began in 1913. Cornish “Stoolies” were brought in to work the mines, and as a result were harassed with flying rocks thrown by the angry immigrant strikers.
When the sheriff James Cruse called in the National Guard, followed by the Waddell-Mahon detective agency, the situation quickly fell out of hand. The Waddell men terrorized the miners, randomly beating some and arresting many others. In one case Waddell men fired repeatedly into a house with guns, murdering two defenseless strikers. At the forefront of the strike was “Strong” Annie Clemenec, who helped organize a fateful Christmas party. During the event someone in the Italian Hall yelled out “Fire!” A huge stampede ensued, and in the confusion 74 bodies, mostly children, were crushed under the heap of piling bodies. The man who yelled fire was seen wearing a pro-company Citizens Alliance. Some believed the doors were shut purposefully to trap the strikers.
This tragic event left its permanent mark in Calumet history. I can feel the bitterness and hatred the miners felt for the C&H owners. This is what caused the death of Calumet, after the strike ended people left Calumet in the hundreds, seeking better jobs with better pay. Calumet was transformed from its former glorious status to a ghost town. This account of history exemplifies the American spirit, as even though the strike failed in the battle, its example served to bring about a new age for America, free from its past problems. The determination and zeal of the strikers, such as Annie, is an example what America stands for. It shows that democracy always is the ending victor, that the next step in history is simply to move forward and to remember the past mistakes.
