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Ludlow Massacre 100th Anniversary Service Planned

DENVER (AP) - The Ludlow Massacre 100th anniversary will be commemorated on April 20 with a Greek Orthodox Easter service at the site of the Ludlow Memorial south of Walsenburg.

The massacre occurred during a long strike by immigrant coal miners from the Colorado Fuel & Iron mines in the mountains in the Trinidad and Aguilar area in the winter of 1913.

The conflict began in September 1913, when striking miners were evicted from their homes. It occurred after months of tension and occasional violence when the Colorado National Guard opened fire on the strikers' tent colony. Twenty strikers, women and children died in the gunfire or smothered from smoke from the burning tents.

The conflict is credited with thrusting workers' rights into the spotlight and helping to reshape industrial labor relations.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

 

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