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At the turn of the 20th Century, labor, political reforms and imperialistic expansion along with their problems and conflicts dominated the headlines of American newspapers. The growth of labor unions that wanted a better life for their members and other workers were pushing against a wall, reinforced by the wealthy industrialists, the press and those agencies at the state and federal levels. While the major strikes organized by the labor unions that resulted in the Haymarket Riot in Chicago and the strikes at the Pullman Palace Car Company and the steel companies cornered most of the national news, there was a conflict that took place in the late 1890s in a small Midwestern Illinois town that would determine the future of unionism and its struggle to survive. Although the title of this book uses the term crossroads it might have been more accurate to use the term Collision Course On The Illinois Prairie . So many forces came together in this small coal mining town that would result in the struggle of the survival of union organization, Industrialist resistance, strikes and unfounded rumors that led to a massacre. It would be just one of many in Illinois that caused the streets to run red with blood until troops and imposition of martial law would be used to restore order. It would draw the attention of the state and national governments to address these conflicts and take action in an attempt to deal with the domestic labor problems that would continue well into the 20th Century.
