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Hellraisers Journal, Friday October 18, 1918
Mother Jones News for September 1918
-Mother Found in West Virginia’s Fairmont Coal Field
From the Fairmont West Virginian of September 2, 1918:
On September 2nd Mother Jones spoke to 10,000 West Virginia miners and their families of the Fairmont Coal Field who gathered at Traction Park for a massive Labor Day Celebration.
DAY DEDICATED TO LABOR OBSERVED
BY MINE WORKERS
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Thousands of Them Attending
Six Big Picnics.
—–TRACTION PARK CROWDED
—–
Many Organized Miners Walked
There From Monongah.
—–
More than fifteen thousand organized miners of the Fairmont coal district are today celebrating Labor Day at six picnics held in this section of the state. Celebrations are being held at the following points in the Fairmont region: Traction Park, Enterprise, Jamison Mine, Flemington, Reynoldsville and Clarksburg.
Practically all of the United Mine Workers locals in this region are participating in the big celebration at Traction Park, which is expected to be the biggest Labor Day celebration in the state. It is estimated that fully ten thousand miners will attend the celebration at Traction Park today. In addition to the miners there will be many families, because practically all of the miners have made arrangements to attend the celebration with their families, taking with them filled baskets prepared to spend the entire day.
Miners from the Dakota, Rivesville, Robinson and Barnesville shaft mine assembled this morning at 7:30 o’clock, marching all the way from Rivesville to Fairmont, arriving here about 9:30 [a.m.] As they marched up Main street, accompanied by the Ira L. Smith drum corps, each miner carried an American flag, some carrying United Mine Workers flags. The body departed for Traction Park on special cars leaving for Traction Park at 10 o’clock. Reports from Dakota are to the effect that there will be 800 members of that local attend the Traction Park celebration, more than 300, from the Shaft mine, and a proportionate number from the other miners in that section. The mines along the Minnington line and between here and Clarksburg will be represented as well, each local attending in a body and making an effort to have a fine showing. The Monongah local, of about 800 members, the Everson local and other organizations only a short distance from the park will have a full attendance.
