1913: Hijacked Strike: How a Strike and a Labor War Were Forced on the Workers of the Copper Country, by the Western Federat

The year 1913 is forever etched in the minds and hearts of people of the Copper Country, because it was the year of The Strike. It was unexpected, it was devastating to many of the miners and their families --- and it was completely unnecessary for events to unfold the way they did. Folklore and ideas passed down through generations of the Keweenaw give a false impression of what happened and why. With the help of an honest and responsible union the workers of the Copper Country could have bargained for better wages and conditions; instead they were lied to and forced down a dangerous road. The Western Federation of Miners -- an organization whose leadership misled their members and regularly engaged in violence and terrorism to accomplish their goals -- forced a strike on workers who by-and-large wanted no part of it. The WFM initiated the violence which spread throughout the peninsula, and created a labor war when none was likely to exist.