Ludlow Tent Colony Site

Ludlow Tent Colony Site
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Location	Del Aqua Canyon Rd., Ludlow, Colorado
Coordinates	37°20′22″N 104°35′00″W / 37.33944°N 104.58333°W / 37.33944; -104.58333Coordinates: 37°20′22″N 104°35′00″W / 37.33944°N 104.58333°W / 37.33944; -104.58333
Area	40 acres (16 ha)
Built	1913
Architect	Sullivan,Hugh
NRHP Reference #	85001328[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	June 19, 1985
Designated NHL	January 16, 2009[2]

Ludlow Tent Colony Site is an area in Ludlow, Colorado associated with the Ludlow Massacre that was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark on January 16, 2009. It is an archeological site.^[3][4]

The press release reads:

Ludlow Tent Colony, Ludlow, CO, is nationally significant in the history of industry for its association with the Ludlow Massacre, a pivotal event in American history that culminated in the destruction of the tent colony and the deaths of two women and eleven children on April 20, 1914. The tent colony originated when coal miners and their families were evicted from company housing during a strike that began in September 1913. The colony, or camp, was established by the United Mine Workers of America on vacant land near the mines and the small community of Ludlow. On April 24, a truce was declared and representatives of the miners and the mine owners med to discuss a “peace with justice.” In 1916, the United Mine Workers of America purchased the 40-acre site of the Ludlow Massacre, and two years later, a monument commemorating the massacre was built. Since then, union rallies and commemorations have become regular events at the site. The Ludlow Tent Colony Site is the first such strike camp to be archeologically investigated. This site is a prime example of what archeologists consider to be the perfect source of physical data because it is a short-term occupation that was destroyed by fire. Archeological investigation of the site to date is providing the means to gain a richer, more detailed, and more systematic understanding of the everyday reality of mining families of the period and throughout the United States.^[3]

Ludlow massacre event

Ludlow tent colony after the fire, caption says: GENERAL VIEW OF THE WRECKAGE OF THE LUDLOW TENT COLONY AFTER THE BATTLE OF APRIL 20

The Ludlow massacre was an incident in which 20 people died during an attack by the Colorado National Guard on a tent colony of 1,200 striking coal miners and their families on 20 April 1914. These deaths occurred after a day-long fight between strikers and the Guard. Two women and eleven children were among the dead.

Ludlow Monument

The Ludlow Monument is a monument on a 1.5-acre (6,100 m²) portion of the Ludlow Tent Colony Site.^[4]

Preservation history

The site has been examined using historical archaeology techniques.^[5] Colorado Senator Ken Salazar campaigned for National Historic Landmark status for the site, pledging in a press release that he would introduce senate legislation for the site to be named a National Historic Landmark.^[6] In 1960 the very first NHLs were designated by congress, but in the 1960s the process was routinized to be handled by the Department of the Interior. NHLs are declared by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.^[1] It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2009.^[2]

References

External links

• Colorado Coal Field War Project: The Archaeology of the 1913-1914 Colorado Coal Field War