Overview

This is a fresh view of Michigan's Copper Country through the eyes of Finnish immigrants. The copper mines of Michigan's Copper Country, in the Upper Peninsula, were active for 150 years, from 1845 until 1995. Many of the mine workers attempted to unionize, in order to obtain better working conditions, wages, and hours. The Michigan miners were unsuccessful in their struggles with mine owners, which came to a climax in the 1913-14 Copper Country Strike. This nine-month battle between workers represented by the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) and the three major mining companies in the region took a particularly nasty turn on Christmas Eve, 1913, at a party for strikers and their families organized by the WFM. As many as 500 people were in the Italian Benevolent Society hall in Calumet, Michigan, when someone reportedly shouted 'fire'. There was no fire, but it is estimated that 73-79 people, more than 60 of them children, died in the stampede for the exit. Against this dramatic backdrop, Gary Kaunonen tells the story of Finnish immigrants to Copper Country. By examining the written record and material culture of Finnish immigrant proletarians - analyzing buildings, cultural institutions, and publications of the socialist-unionist media - Kaunonen adds a new depth to our understanding of the time and place, the events and a people.

Full Product Details

Author:   Gary Kaunonen
Publisher:   Michigan State University Press
Imprint:   Michigan State University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.399kg
ISBN:  

9780870138737

ISBN 10:   0870138731
Pages:   297
Publication Date:   19 February 2010
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Awaiting stock  
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Table of Contents

Contents Diagrams, Drawing,and Maps Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Ch. 1/ Finnish Immigration and Settlement in a Hancock, Michigan, Neighborhood Ch. 2/ Finnish Immigrant Cultural Organizations and the “Finn Hall” Ch. 3/ Finnish Immigrant Socialist-Unionists in Hancock Ch. 4/ The Early Existence of the Työmies Publishing Company, 1904–1909 Ch. 5/ The Työmies Publishing Company Reaches Maturity,1910–1913 Ch. 6/ The 1913–14 Copper Country Strike Ch. 7/ Gun Hounds, Scabs,and Tragedy Conclusion Epilogue Appendix 1/Työmies Publishing Company Staff andContributors, 1909 Appendix 2/ Työmies Publishing Company Interior Use of Space Appendix 3/ Copper Territory Strikers’ March, 1913 Appendix 4/ Työmies Publishing Company’s Composite List of Italian Hall Deceased, 1913 Notes Bibliography Index

Reviews

2010 Historical Society of Michigan State History Award — 2010 Historical Society of Michigan State History Award

Author Information

Gary Kaunonen is currently in Michigan Technological University's Ph.D. program in Rhetoric and Technical Communication. Both of his grandfathers worked in the mines of the Mesabi Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota and, before becoming an academic, Kaunonen, himself, charged blast furnaces and operated a bull-ladle in an iron foundry.

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