Final Post

Hello Everyone,

As the semester winds down and everyone treks to the library or coffee shop to partake in the harsh reality that finals are approaching I am going to consider this my final blog.  The main focus of this final post is to take time and reflect on this semester.

To start, I would like to thank everyone in the class for their words of encouragement as we worked on our papers.  I would also like to thank Micalee for dedicating this class to the study of labor history, a subject I knew very little about before entering this class.  After several months of research I am excited to finish my paper that culminates all of my research and ideas.  This class not only taught me labor history, but how to study history through various perspectives.  This class will help me as I pursue my history degree in a way that no other history class has.

Thank you to everyone and good luck on finishing your papers!

Luke

Themes in Labor History

Now that I have outlined a thesis that I think will be more useful to my argument I am trying to fit the books that we read in class into my paper.  The one book that is easiest to incorporate is Lisa Fine's The Story of Reo Joe.  I referenced Ransom Olds in my rough draft but would like to go more in depth in my final paper.  The theme that resonates throughout the book was Olds wish to create a white, male, protestant workforce.  He used the notion of welfare capitalism or corporate paternalism to create this workforce.  Though my research focuses on corporate paternalism the corporation's I focus on did not want the end to result in a specific workforce.  Rather, it was used to combat the radical tendencies of its employees, especially the Finnish community. The other two books are going to be a little more difficult to incorporate but I think as I will look more into it I will be able to fit it in somewhere.

See everyone tomorrow and I look forward to listening to every one's presentations.

Continue Writing

So...I am now starting to go over my paper in detail and make some changes.  Although I did pretty well on my rough draft, there are still a few area's that I need to pay more attention.  One area is the thesis.  My thesis, just as everyone else, is the focal point of the paper.  The problem with mine is that I have to make it a little more direct because right now I don't have a strong argument. This should be a fun night of writing!

Miike Coal Strike

This week I came upon the Miike Coal Strike in my East Asian history class.  This seemed very interesting while reading it in the textbook so I decided to do further research on it.  This was a strike that took place in Japan after the country decided to switch from coal energy to oil.  This particular strike garnered the attention of the whole country as thousands took place in support of the miners.  The theme of this strike also relates quite closely to the themes discussed in our class throughout this semester.

I also wanted to state that everyone who gave their presentations on Thursday did a great job!

See everyone on Tuesday!

Presentation

Along with everyone else I am working on my presentation.  For this I will be using a PowerPoint slide as a visual aid.  I like using a PowerPoint but don't want the presentation to result in me simply reading off of the projector so I will only be putting pictures and simple quotes on each slide.  This, I hope, will be more enjoyable for everyone to listen to and for me to give.

For the structure of my presentation I will present the information that I have researched along with my overall argument. I also want to devote a portion of it to the readings we did in class and how they are related to my specific topic.  This is something that I didn't go into great detail in my paper so hopefully what I come up with for my presentation will prove useful in my paper as well.

See everyone tomorrow!

Paternalism Derived from Necessity

So...now that several midterms are over with in other class I have time to write on my blog and continue writing my paper.  As I have stated in previous postings, I will be focusing on the Corporate Paternalism on Michigan's Iron Ranges.  Now that I have spoken with Micalee I have formed my thesis.  I will be arguing that the emergence of corporate paternalism on the Marquette Iron Range was out of labor necessity rather than charity.  In 1895, three years before William Mather initiated his plan of paternalism over Cleveland-Cliffs employees, the range saw a labor strike that was larger in size than any other seen.  The reason for this large scale strike was the Finnish community that was moving to Marquette during this time.  They were predisposed to the idea of socialism and radical labor reform from their homeland of Finland.  With this mass influx of so called "socialist extremists’", it was necessary to keep the labor force in check to the beliefs of the mining companies and their leaders. The mining companies feared the Finns because they were believed to stir up radical ideas that would rock the employer-employee relationships.

Their fear of Finnish miners can be seen in the Cleveland-Cliffs Annual Agent Report of 1913 when a mining agent stated, "Considerable trouble was experienced with these men as a large percentage of them were Finlanders.  Young Finn's, as a rule, are rank Socialists.  Commencing with March, when there was considerable talk of a possible strike, we started to lay off undesirable men...We still have quite a number of undesirable men and are constantly making efforts to weed them out."

The year in which this was written is crucial to my study.  In this same year, Michigan's Copper Range saw a large labor strike that was orchestrated heavily by the Finn's.  Though the Finn's on the Copper Range were subject to Corporate Paternalism as well, they didn't welcome it as the ones on the Marquette Range did. The Finnish on the Marquette Range were subjected to a corporate paternalism that was directed more heavily into their lives thus creating a sense of "content" among workers.

I also want to dedicate a section of my paper to the idea of race and the Finnish community.  This is in direct relation to the book we are discussing in class.  As I look more into this idea I will post.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and see you on Tuesday!

Labor Radicals, Socialists, and the Finns

As I begin to write my research paper I am feverishly reading several sources about Finns in the Upper Peninsula.  I have already narrowed by thesis down and will argue that corporate paternalism and their stronghold on the community was the cause of little labor reform during the Progressive Era (1900-1920).  When I spoke with the archivist on my trip to Marquette he pointed me into the direction of the Finnish community as the Finns were heavily involved in the Socialist Movement sweeping American labor at this time. The reason for their strong involvement came from their homeland of Finland where the Socialist Movement was the strongest. 

When I was done explaining my argument to Marcus (the archivist) he had some reservations on my thesis thus turning me to the Finnish community.  He brought up the notion that corporate paternalism had been practiced around the country at this time all the while labor reform was seen as well.  Therefore, he has tried to argue that it was the Finns of Marquette County and their opposition to the Socialist Movement that caused a state of 'content' on the Range rather than the Paternalistic policies of the Cleveland-Cliffs Company.  Examples of the Finnish radicals progress towards labor reform can be seen during the Copper Country Strike of 1913. This was the strike in which over 70 people died during a Christmas party and was the topic of a song heard in class today.  The Finns on the Copper Range accepted the Socialist Movement more so than the Finns on the Iron Ranges.  But why is this the case?  I don't really know and as much as I would like to research this, I don't know if I will have enough time to do a comparative study of two communities thus, I will stick solely to the Marquette Range.

My argument will be that the lack of labor reform was due to corporate paternalism and will use the Finnish community as a primary example.  I will have to touch on the Finnish radicals that were striking in the Keewenaw at this time and argue that the Cleveland-Cliffs Company invested heavily in the community, more so than any other company, and saw positive results as the employees did not seek reform and in the few cases they did, they lost. This case of paternalism and the communities acceptance of it can best be seen by the response of a miner wife in which she stated, "we were satisfied with it."  Meaning, they were satisfied with the life they had and the benefits given to them by the mining company. 

Now...back to writing!

Have a great Halloween Weekend and Go State!

Former President Theodore Roosevelt On Trial in Marquette County

As I was looking through various trials that have incorporated the Cleveland-Cliffs Company in Marquette, County, I came upon a source that said Teddy Roosevelt went on trial in Marquette.  Though this has little to do with my research I decided to check it out.  Here is the rundown.  Roosevelt was a frequent traveler to the Marquette Iron Range during campaign stops.  He came to town during his campaign for President in 1912 as the "Bull Moose" party candidate, a party he introduced after losing in the Republican primaries to William Taft.  On October 12 of that year an article was written in the Ishpeming Iron Ore Magazine which stated that Roosevelt, "lied, swore and was not infrequently drunk on his trip through the area."  This caused Roosevelt to sue the editor of the Iron Ore Newspaper, George A. Newton for defamation and slander.  Newton was a staunch Republican, as most newspaper editors and leading officials in Marquette Country were during this period, and was upset over Roosevelt's split from the party. During the trial, Roosevelt called upon witnesses to his trip that proved he was never drunk and acted in a proper fashion.  After he made his case, Newton and his lawyer, who happened to be the lawyer of the Cleveland-Cliffs Company as well rested because they could not prove he was drunk at any point during his trip.  This resulted in a ruling for the plaintiff, President Roosevelt, who was awarded 6 cents after his attorneys attempted to receive $10,000, which Roosevelt disagreed with.

As I write this I can't help but somehow relate this directly to my research.  The role of the Republican Party's strong presence in Marquette County has an role in the content of the miners.  During this period 80% of the public officials were Republican and these are the same officials who played a role in the squashing of labor reform.  But with this, Republicans were not alone. The Finnish communities strong opposition to the Socialist Movement and their ideology forced the lack of labor reform as did the corporate paternalism exhibited by the Cleveland-Cliffs Company.

If you would like to read more about arguably the most notable Libel Case in United States History I have posted a link to an article below...

http://www.michbar.org/journal/pdf/pdf4article263.pdf

Former President Theodore Roosevelt

Michigan Iron Industry Museum

Hello Everyone,

This morning I went to the Michigan Iron Industry Museum located in Negaunee, Michigan.  When I arrived I was amazed by the amount of material the museum had regarding to iron mining and those who lived on the few Michigan Iron Ranges.

What proved to be the most helpful was a film titled "Iron Spirits: Life on the Marquette Iron Range."  It was a short film which described the life of miners and their families and the relationship they had with the mining companies.  After looking through the exhibits and the movie I was able to pick up several special issues of Michigan History which are dedicated to iron mining.  In these magazines are a few articles that I have been trying to find because they are full of useful information.

Now that my time up here is coming to a close I am happy that I made the trip.  Though the main purpose of this trip was to visit family I'm glad I had the opportunity to study my topic in the very community that I am studying. After this trip I believe now I am ready to start writing my paper with many credible sources.

See you on Tuesday!

Studying in the Snow

So...I made it to Marquette finally!  After what seemed to be a drive that would never end I spent a few hours in the Archives at Northern Michigan University.  Before I looked at the company records of Cleveland-Cliffs Company I was able to meet with the director of the archives who spoke to me about the mining industry and its effect on the surrounding communities.  Because I have finally narrowed my research to the understanding of why labor disputes did not occur on the Marquette Range from 1900-1920 I was able to look through information that pertained directly to my topic.

Before coming to Northern Michigan I was going to argue that the lack of labor victories on the Marquette Iron Range was due to solely the corporate paternalism exhibited by CCI.  However, after talking with Marcus (the archivist) I have added another source that attributes to unsuccessful attempts to reform labor, the Finnish community.

When I spoke with Michalee last week we were talking about narrowing my topic down and one facet of the Marquette Range that kept jumping out to me was the vibrant immigrant community. The Finns on the Range was the largest immigrant community, thus they held more power than others.  Though they were the largest of immigrant communities on all mining ranges in the UP the one living in Marquette County held different ideologies towards labor and reform.

The Finns in Marquette were more conservative than those on the other ranges and this attributed to the unsuccessful attempt of the Socialist Party's attempt to promote radical labor reform.  Along with the conservative tendencies of Marquette's Finlanders was the problem of factionalism.  Different factions were created in the early 20th century among Finns in Marquette and they were surrounded around their leaders.  These two factions were led by Frank Aaltonen who was a Socialist promoter and William Nisto who led the effort against the Socialist movement.  Because they did not hold an united front when asking CCI for labor reform, they did not succeed.  Though it seems as simple as this I know that there is a lot more information to look through.  Tomorrow I will be looking through microfilms of the Iron Ore Newspaper based out of Ishpeming, Michigan which spoke often about the Socialist Movement on the Marquette Range.

I will keep everyone posted on what I find. Have a great weekend and GO GREEN!

Hittin' the Road

Tomorrow morning I will be heading up to the UP so I can look through Northern Michigan University's archives.  That is where the company records of the Cleveland-Cliffs Company are held.  I am quite excited to look through many documents regarding the paternalism shown by the company and how all attempts of labor reforms failed.

Something that will prove helpful is the archivist I will be meeting.  After e-mailing him my scope of research and what I was looking for he responded with great news.  He has a compilation of records that help in my research and even sent me some research he has done.  He has spoken at a conference on the very subject I will be focusing on and will help me prove my thesis.  I will be updating my blog quite a bit these next few days because this is where most of my research will be taking place.

"New Paternalism" on the Marquette Iron Range

As I deep more and more into my research on the Marquette Iron Range it is about time to narrow the scope of my research.  I have gone over several options and decided to dedicate my paper on the "Corporate Paternalism" shown by the Cleveland-Cliffs Company on the Marquette Iron Range from 1890-1930.  The reason I chose this time period is because of its relevance.  This was the time period in which William G. Mather was president of the company and he was the one who introduced the notion of "New Paternalism" to the Range.  Another reason I chose this period is because of the prevalence of the Progressive Movement in the Upper Peninsula and Mather's close ties to the movement. 

During this period the Marquette Range saw a low number of labor disturbances compared to other industries including the Copper Mining Industry in the Keweenaw Peninsula.  Several factors led to the feeling of content among iron miners with the most important being the presence of paternalism by mining companies. 

What I find interesting about the scope of my research is the similarity with the book we are reading in class, The Story of Reo Joe.  Like Ransom Olds, William G. Mather instilled a sense of community surrounding around the industry that they led.  I am finding more and more similarities among these two individuals as I read the book and research the paternalism of William Mather.

I hope everyone is well underway with their research and is enjoying, The Story of Reo Joe.







William G. Mather (Cleveland-Cliffs Company President, 1890-1931)

Gwinn East to West

This is a video of someone driving through Gwinn, Michigan, the town created by the Cleveland-Cliffs Mining Company. Though some time has passed since the Cleveland-Cliffs Company involvement with the community it gives a rough estimate of how their community was structured. Gwinn is known for its layout and the notion that it was designed with great insight and precision is proven when watching this.

Gwinn, Michigan - "Model Town"

I have found something quite interesting about the Cleveland-Cliffs Company and their involvement with the people of Marquette County.  The Company created a town that was dubbed "Model Town" because it was constructed in a way that the Company wanted to replicate in other towns.  This town is known as Gwinn, Michigan.  Cleveland-Cliffs Austin Mine was located on this land and starting in 1906, William Mather, the President of CCI, decided to build a town where his employees could live.  Throughout the early 20th century the Cleveland-Cliffs Company kept close ties with the community and most early leaders in the community political structure were employed in the mines.  This ended in 1946 when CCI diminished its role with the community. This is one example of the direct relationship between Cleveland-Cliffs and a specific community in Marquette County, and will provide evidence for my thesis. 

Recorded in Stone: Voices on the Marquette Iron Range

As I stated in an earlier post, Northern Michigan University has a site dedicated to the voices of miners.  Not many miners had the time or resources to put their personal experiences into writing, but recently have agreed to be interviewed in an attempt to preserve the history of the Marquette Range. Below is a link to the website and the default interview is about the Barnes-Hecker Mine Disaster. I will hopefully use some of the interviews that exist at the NMU library and will definitely be referencing the disaster in my paper.

http://voices.nmu.edu/content.asp?PageName=Index

Barnes-Hecker Memorial

Cliffs of Iron: Underground Mining

This is a clip from the documentary Cliffs of Iron: Immigrants and Promise on the Marquette Range.  It gives great insight on the importance of brotherhood among miners, especially those who worked in an underground mine.

Immigrants on the Marquette Iron Range

I made a lot of progress on my research today.  I traveled to the Library of Michigan and found a plethora of books and documents regarding my topic.  The most interesting source I found is a reference book of the Old Catholic Cemetery in Marquette.  Within this book there are pictures of headstones and who was laid to rest in that spot.  This gives me a great insight on the miners, as the most common occupation listed is mining.  I also found a primary source that describes the towns of Marquette and Ishpeming in the year 1900. With this, the most interesting aspect of my research thus far is that of immigrant miners.

Northern Michigan University has a page that is solely dedicated to the "Voices of the Marquette Iron Range" and provides me with firsthand accounts of what life was like.  One interesting facet of this topic is that of Cornish immigrants who first entered the Iron Range in 1845.  They first resided in Wisconsin but moved to Marquette after hearing of the prospects.  What makes this group of immigrants so special was the way they established their own community.  They resided in small houses on the outskirts of Negaunee and their community surrounded around the local Methodist Church.  This is a group of immigrants that I will most definitely incorporate into my paper.

I want to end by recommending the Library of Michigan to everyone, especially those who are conducting their research on Michigan communities.

Cornish Wrestling Match, 1920

Research Update

Researching the mining industry of Marquette County has proven to be a little more difficult than I had anticipated.  Most of the sources that I have come upon are more related to the geology of mining rather than the workers who worked in the mines.  Because this is all I can find at the MSU Library I am now headed to the Library of Michigan.  Here, I have found more substantial research regarding the people who worked the mines and the three communities that encompass the Marquette Iron Range.

One aspect in my research that I would like to look more into, and possibly dedicate a section of my paper to is that of immigrant workers.  From looking at the Census Data from the year 1880 I found that most miners were immigrants from Finland, Canada, and a few from Ireland.  I believe that it would be appropriate to incorporate the immigrants who lived in the community as the mining industry has been instrumental in the communities progress.

Thanks

Marquette Iron Mining

Hello Everyone,

After reviewing possible topics to research I have decided to direct my study in the focus of Marquette County mining.  For all of you who may not know, Marquette County is in the Upper Peninsula and has had a quite vibrant mining history.  There are several mining ranges in the UP including the Copper Country Range and Menominee Range but I chose Marquette.  I chose Marquette for several reasons.  First, I have actually toured some of the mines that are still in operation and found it interesting. Second, I have some family ties in Marquette which I hope can give me a better insight to the operation of the mines and the community structure in which the mines operated in.  There is an abundance of secondary sources on mining in Michigan, which will undoubtable assist in my research. Though the secondary sources are helpful what I believe will help me even more are the primary sources. I have found many primary sources through the Cleaveland-Cliffs Mining Company who have operated in the Marquette Iron Range since its birth.  I hope everyone is finding their research interesting and good luck!

Negaunee Mine - Negaunee, MI

Barnes-Hecker Mine - Ishpaming, Michigan

Introduction

Hello Everyone,


My name is Luke Arends and I am currently in my Junior year. I am double majoring in both History and Criminal Justice and plan on attending Law School following my undergraduate studies here at MSU.  When I came to Michigan State I had no intention of becoming a history major, but ultimately chose to pursue something that I truly love studying. My experience of history at Michigan State has been great.  I have taken both History 202 and 203 which are both focus solely on the United  States.  As I progress more into my major I am excited to learn other periods of history. The period of history which I find most intriguing is the American Civil War and Reconstruction.


And now onto a more personal note.  I grew up in the small town of Sparta, Michigan which is located ten miles north of Grand Rapids.  Sparta is predominately a farming community with an abundance of apple farmers. In the past I have never studied my own community and its relation to the farming community but hope to learn more as I am looking to my hometown as the focus of my research in this class. I am excited to get this semester underway and learn all there is to know about labor history!