Hi, all -

This was, indeed, a major historical event for the western Upper Peninsula. It was part of a much larger worker's movement.

There is more information to be found in MeL Michigana - look in the Making of Modern Michigan and the Keweenaw Digital Archives.

Search for Italian Hall Disaster or Big Annie - she was one of the first female union organizers.

We tend to think of the Keweenaw as a remote area covered with nothing but trees, but Calumet has a rich history and was quite a wealthy town during its heyday (which relates back to the issue of boom and bust and progress versus the environment).

Thanks,
Suzanne (proud Yooper)
Part time Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 8:30a - 2p, with slight variations
No Bad Days!
-------------------
Suzanne Robinson, AMLS
MeL Databases Training Coordinator
Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (mcls.org)
1407 Rensen St., Suite 1
Lansing, MI 48910 800-530-9019 ext 134

From: Michael McGuire <mdmcguire@yahoo.com>
To: "michlib-l@mail.mcls.org" <michlib-l@mail.mcls.org>,
Date: 09/11/2013 05:51 PM
Subject: [Michlib-l] Program recommendation - Italian Hall disaster
Sent by: michlib-l-bounces@mail.mcls.org

The Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan is one of the great unsolved mysteries of Michigan history. It involved the deaths of over 70 people - mostly children. It was, whether intended or not, a mass homicide.

The tragedy evokes a lot of emotion in the area still. It is a really fascinating event that people continue to study today.

The great Woody Guthrie wrote a famous song based on the 1913 Massacre as it was sometimes called.

http://1913massacre.com/about-the-song/

There was a film done as well. There is a link, below, for a synopsis and the trailer for the film including Arlo Guthrie and a bit of the song by Woody Guthrie, too. Nice film based on the song. Don’t know how it would work with the live presentation.

http://1913massacre.com/about/

Michael D. McGuire
Grand Rapids, MI
mdmcguire@yahoo.com

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