The Calumet Christmas Tragedy (1913) w/ Erik Loomis

It’s December 19th. In 1913, on Christmas Eve, 73 people, 59 of them children, died during a stampede at a gathering in the mining town of Calumet, Michigan.

Jody, Niki, and Kellie are joined by labor historian Erik Loomis to discuss the Calumet tragedy, the brutal working conditions in the mines, the union organizing that was taking place at the time — and whether the tragedy was a result of company operatives.

Erik Loomis is associate professor of history at the University of Rhode Island and author of “A History of America in Ten Strikes.” Follow him on Twitter.

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Our team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Brittani Brown, Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Julie Shapiro, Executive Producer at Radiotopia