By Erik Nordberg, University Archivist for the Michigan Tech Archives
HOUGHTON -- Commitments from community organizations and volunteers are needed for activities to mark the centennial of the 1913 Michigan copper miners’ strike. A series of public meetings are scheduled over the next three months to finalize the schedule for next year’s commemorative events. The nearly year-long strike by members of the Western Federation of Miners in 1913-14 is one of the most significant events in Copper Country history and also figures critically in national labor struggles of the era.
The first public meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. TODAY, Monday, July 23, at the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock. Today is also the 99th anniversary of the start of the 1913 strike. Additional meetings are scheduled at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 16, at the Houghton Township Community Room in Eagle River and at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Ontonagon Theatre in Ontonagon. Individuals are welcome to attend any or all of these meetings.
These meetings intend to confirm specific events during the commemoration. Historical exhibits, speakers’ events, tie-in activities for K-12 students, tours of historic sites connected to the strike, a scholarly symposium on historical topics, a memorial ceremony at the Italian Hall site, and other activities will engage both local residents and out-of-town visitors in remembering and understanding this important era in local history.
All meetings are free and open to the general public. For more information contact the Michigan Tech Archives at 906-487-2505, e-mail at copper@mtu.edu, or visit 1913strike.wordpress.com
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