A new wayside exhibit about Route 66 and a violent labor battle in 1898 was installed Sunday in Virden, Ill., reported the Springfield State Journal-Register.
Virden sits on the 1926-30 alignment of Route 66 south of Springfield. The wayside exhibit stands at Downtown Virden Park.
The Battle of Virden, as it’s called, occurred on Oct. 12, 1898. The Chicago Virden-Coal Co. locked out local miners during a contract dispute and imported black workers from the South in an effort to break the union. As the train of strikebreakers arrived in Virden, a shootout commenced between striking miners and armed guards on the train. Thirteen people were killed, and 35 were wounded. A detailed overview of the Battle of Virden can be found here.
The Journal-Register’s report does a good job in tying together Route 66 and the deadly dispute:
Though tragic, Mayor Wayne Joplin said he’s pleased this piece of Virden’s history is being commemorated in such a manner.
“It takes some courage to let someone put something up that’s not about poodle skirts, not about ’57 Chevys … but about a real, historic event that took place in our town,” Joplin said.
Bill Kelly, executive director of the Route 66 Heritage Project, said the national scenic byway is designated by the Federal Highway Administration, which chooses very specific and important American roads that have historic, cultural, recreational or scenic dimensions.
“Route 66 more than qualifies for that,” Kelly said. “In the case of Virden, it has a historic dimension which is unique. The battle has changed the face of the American labor movement, was all part of the corridor which evolved into Route 66.”
Alas, the Battle of Virden wasn’t unique. Other deadly labor disputes occurred in Illinois, including Pana, Herrin and East St. Louis. In the cases listed, these strikebreakers — many of whom were racial or ethnic minorities — had no idea what was going on before they arrived. So not only did these companies have blood on their hands because of their actions, but they also stroked hatred and bigotry. Many small cities in central and southern Illinois became “sundown towns” — where black people weren’t allowed to stay after sundown — for many decades during the 20th century. I’m certain these labor disputes played a big role in that.
The Battle of Virden also led to another prominent landmark on Route 66 — the Union Miners Cemetery and Mother Jones Monument in Mount Olive, Ill. The cemetery was created for the miners killed in the Virden shootout, and famous labor advocate Mother Jones was buried with them when she died in 1930.