Labor murals in Maine removed -- but there's no getting rid of Ludlow Massacre monument

Maine Governor Paul LePage is sticking with his decision to remove a labor-history mural from its current home inside a Department of Labor building. In Colorado, there are no similar union-lovin' murals in government facilities for conservatives to take aim at. But we do have public artwork commemorating one of...

By Jared Jacang Maher

March 28, 2011

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Maine Governor Paul LePage is sticking with his decision to remove a labor-history mural from its current home inside a Department of Labor building. In Colorado, there are no similar union-lovin' murals in government facilities for conservatives to take aim at. But we do have public artwork commemorating one of the most infamous events in labor history: the Ludlow massacre.

Yes, that would be the memorial erected in 1918 by the United Mine Workers of America at Ludlow, Colorado in remembrance of the deaths that occurred when the Colorado National Guard attacked a tent colony of 1,200 striking coal miners.

The site of the 1914 massacre was actually designated a National Historic Landmark in the waning days of the Bush Administration three years ago.

One big difference between the Ludlow memorial and the murals in Maine: Stone sculptures are a bitch to move.

Below, check out a couple of videos about the incident -- one featuring historian (and frequent right-wing target) Howard Zinn, the second juxtaposing historical images with the Woody Guthrie song "Ludlow Massacre."

More from our Follow That Story archive: "Back to Ludlow: a massacre revisited."

Jared Jacang Maher

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