Colorado Ghost Town : Ludlow

Ludlow, CO

Ludlow was the site of the most gruesome anti-labor massacre in United States History, called The Ludlow Massacre.

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On April 20, 1914, coal miners had an ongoing strike - they wanted to join the growing (and still existing) miner's union. They'd been evicted from houses owned by the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. They'd set up a tent city on public grounds.

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That day, the miners and their families were celebrating Greek Easter. With no warning, the "Death Special", an armored car with a machine gun, went through the tent city firing bullets.

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However, most of the death toll came when the company had Lt. Karl E. Lindenfelter order the Baldwin Felts Detective Agency set fire to the tent city from all sides, trapping mostly children. 18 people were killed, 11 kids, including one family who'd burned to death in a pit they dug to try to escape from the fire.

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Nobody was ever punished for these incidents, except the surviving miners, who were arrested and blackballed.

Text submitted by Jenn Goodland. Thank you Jenn!

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