Rebel Girls Women in the Mesabi Iron Range Strike of 1916

Rebel Women in the Mesabi Iron Range Strike of 1916 grants from southern and eastern strike, ardently tackling the chal- Europe— had walked away from their lenges confronting the miners. jobs in early June. The IWW stepped Mining company officials refused to in to organize the workers and helped recognize any of the strike demands Girls draft a list of strike demands that and hired over 1,000 armed guards David LaVigne included higher wages, a shorter to protect their properties and mon- work day, payday twice per month, itor the strikers’ actions. Just prior to abor activist Elizabeth Gurley and eradication of a labor system Flynn’s coming, fatal clashes between L Flynn was no stranger when she that paid miners not by a daily rate, strikers and mining company police arrived in Duluth on July 11, 1916. As but for the amount of ore produced. had provided county law enforce- early as 1907 Flynn had advocated Commenting on the demands shortly ment authorities an excuse to arrest for the rights of Minnesota workers, after her arrival, Flynn declared that and jail the IWW’s chief organizers. and she was nationally known as an mining companies were “taking Undeterred, Flynn traveled back and orator with the Industrial Workers of millions of dollars worth of ore from forth across the Mesabi Range, tire- the World (IWW), an industrial union Minnesota every year, and it seems to lessly canvassing its 20- odd cities and committed to overthrowing capital- me they should be willing to leave just many mining “locations,” smaller ism. In 1916, Flynn returned to Minne- a little of their enormous profits here settlements sited within easy walk- sota to support an IWW strike on the among the working men.”1 ing distance of mines. She delivered Mesabi Iron Range. Eight thousand Over the ensuing months, Flynn forceful speeches at each stop, prom- iron ore miners— a mixture of immi- became the most visible face of the ising the strikers that “the I.W.W. is 90 MINNESOTA HISTORY facing: Women march in an Industrial in other forms. Through actions that Workers of the World (IWW) parade in extended far beyond the role of any Hibbing, June 21, 1916. one individual, women contributed to the strike by confronting mining going to see you through . until company abuses, participating in the great end is gained.” By August, meetings, parades, and industrial an observer from St. Paul would sabotage, setting up pickets, and skill- marvel that “Miss Flynn is at present fully managing limited strike- time the power behind the strikers. She resources.4 controls them and keeps order and is always ready to give wise counsel.”2 Yet the mining companies’ tac- Violent encounters tics ultimately proved too difficult to overcome even for an organizer early all historical as skilled as Flynn. In an effort to Naccounts cite two deadly skir- discredit her leadership, local news- mishes between striking miners papers attacked Flynn for not fitting and law enforcement officials as the proper gender roles. The editor of most significant events of the Mesabi the Chisholm Tribune- Herald, Walter Range strike. The first clash took Brown, argued that there were “higher place in the city of Virginia on June ideals for a woman to cultivate,” and 22, and ended in the death of a Cro- assured readers of the IWW’s demise atian immigrant miner named John since Flynn, who was divorced, “was Elizabeth Gurley Flynn in Minnesota Alar. The tragedy spurred an increase even unsuccessful in her one attempt during the strike. in the number of mining company at domestic life.” For her part, Flynn police and induced an order by Min- campaigned passionately on behalf of narrative in need of reconsideration. nesota governor Joseph A. A. Burn- the strikers, while conceding with a Aside from Flynn’s role, histories of quist to snub out strike activity. On smile that “my marriage and divorce the strike mostly ignore the contri- July 3 a second violent encounter near have given my enemies the chance butions of women. Studies of radical the city of Biwabik led to the deaths they were seeking to malign and vil- politics, in general, have long over- of sheriff’s deputy James Myron and a ify me.” In the end, it was not Flynn’s looked women’s participation, assum- Finnish soda pop deliveryman named defiance of gender norms that caused ing their political inclinations to be Tomi Ladvalla. It was immediately the strike to fail but insufficient relief primarily conservative or citing the following this incident that St. Louis funds. Miners desperate to feed their male chauvinism of organized labor. County sheriff John Meining arrested families gradually returned to work, and union officials called off the strike It was not Flynn’s defiance of gender norms that on September 17. Flynn continued to fight for the strikers’ cause through caused the strike to fail but insufficient relief funds. December, devoting most of her time to raising legal funds for the IWW Women’s exclusion from mining the most prominent IWW organiz- organizers still held in a Duluth jail.3 work on the Mesabi Range meant that ers, stifling the strike’s momentum they were not strikers in 1916, as was and prompting the call to Elizabeth the case in labor conflicts elsewhere. Gurley Flynn. The existing historical oday Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Working- class women did, nonethe- narrative suggests that men were Tfigures prominently in accounts less, express their class consciousness the main actors in these two events, of the Mesabi Iron Range Strike of 1916. A rich body of scholarship connecting the conflict to radical DAVID LAVIGNE holds a PhD in history from the University of Minnesota. His research working- class and ethnic politics cel- focuses on the historical memory of European immigration to the United States during the twentieth century. He is currently a visiting assistant professor of history at the College of ebrates her importance. She remains, St. Benedict/St. John’s University. however, an anomaly in a male-driven FALL 2016 91 but a closer examination shows that rounds at the company guards. A women played critical roles in both shot whizzed by Foley’s head and he instances. later inferred the woman’s deadly The woman at the center of intentions, claiming “it was one of the June 22 conflict was Lucija those— wasn’t fine buckshot— one Rosandich— a Croatian immigrant, of those slug, round bullets, fit any miner’s wife, and mother of a baby 18- gauge shot gun.” The shots set girl. She lived in Virginia near the off a fury of gunfire, and it was at Alpena mine. At a meeting on the this time that Alar emerged from evening of June 21, the IWW decided another house, also carrying a Win- to shut down mining operations at chester rifle. He took a shot to the the Alpena. By 3:30 a.m. the next abdomen and died almost instantly. morning, a crowd of 100 picketers Although the coroner failed to had lined up on vacant lots near the determine who killed Alar, accounts mine and awaited the arrival of the blamed Rosandich for setting off the morning shift. Located at the edge firestorm that led to his death.6 of Virginia’s North Side, the site of The events that led to the deaths the impending confrontation was a of James Myron and Tomi Ladvalla Montenegrin immigrant Milica Masonovich, maze of workers’ homes, industrial similarly placed a woman at the cen- wife of striking miner Philip Masonovich, was machinery, and mounds of ore and ter of the storyline. On July 3 Myron arrested for her role in a melee. waste rock. Beside the picketers were and fellow St. Louis County deputy piles of rocks and bricks that they sheriffs Edward Schubisky, Nick Dil- At this moment, Philip Mason o- had collected during the night. Ten lon, and Edward Hoffman traveled vich emerged from the other room mining company guards watched to the Chicago Location near Biwa- and asked for his shoes. As his wife from across the street. When Oliver bik. The men had orders to arrest started to retrieve them, Dillon threw Iron Mining Company chief of police Philip Masonovich, a striking miner her violently across the room. Milica David Foley eventually arrived at accused of violating a local liquor later recalled her reaction: “I told Nick the scene shortly before 5:00 a.m. law. When the deputies arrived at the [Dillon] to get out of the house and I he ordered the picketers to disperse. Masonovich home around 3:30 p.m. chased him out. I went outside after Nick and one of those fellows with Despite the activism of both Rosandich and him hit me over the head with [a] club.” Fighting ensued between the Masonovich, comments by male participants deputies and Philip, who was backed minimized the women’s significance. by three Montenegrin immigrants boarding at the house. Milica partici- A striking miner yelled back, “You they found Philip’s wife, Milica, cook- pated in the melee as well, delivering have no business here.” Fighting ing in the kitchen. The Montenegrin a blow to deputy Edward Schubisky’s broke out soon after.5 immigrant and mother of five chil- head that knocked him down and As picketers and company guards dren greeted the men and explained badly injured him. IWW activist battled in the street, Rosandich that her husband was asleep in an Harrison George would later say that suddenly ran out of a nearby house adjacent room. Deputy Nick Dillon the Montenegrin woman came from carrying a Winchester rifle.

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