Stories from the Mines

At the beginning of the twentieth century, hundreds of thousands of European immigrants came to northeastern Pennsylvania to work in the coal mines. Stories from the Mines chronicles the struggle of these miners to earn a decent wage, alleviate dangerous working conditions, and gain respect. The perilous work the miners performed for extremely low pay, Greg Matkosky and Thomas M. Curra argue, laid the foundation for America’s Industrial Revolution and the modern labor movement. This powerful book traces the miners’ epic human rights battle from their arrival in the United States to the Great Strike of 1902 and the inception of the United Mine Workers. Its companion documentary, available separately on DVD, blends dramatic reenactments and never-before-seen archival footage and photographs to recount a conflict that inspired the involvement of Clarence Darrow and Theodore Roosevelt. Stories from the Mines highlights the indelible contribution to America’s history made by anthracite coal and the men who mined it.