John Calderwood
Encyclopedia
John Calderwood was born in Kilmarnock
, East Ayrshire
, Scotland
. Little is known about his parentage or life. He went to work in the local coal mines at the age of nine while attending public night school.
Calderwood emigrated to the United States at the age 17, and attended the Mckeesport School of Mines in McKeesport, Pennsylvania
. He graduated in 1876.
After graduation, Calderwood settled in Colorado
. He was elected president of a miners' union
in Aspen, Colorado
. In November 1893, he traveled to Cripple Creek, Colorado
at the behest of the Western Federation of Miners
(WFM) to organize the miners there.
Calderwood was president of the miner's union during the Cripple Creek miners' strike of 1894
. As the strike began, Calderwood left for Salt Lake City, Utah
, to attend the second convention of the WFM. His departure fortuitously left Junius J. Johnson, a former U.S. Army officer, in charge of the union. Johnson's planning and cool head helped the miners weather the initial assault by gangs of hired thugs sent to break the strike. Calderwood arrived back in Cripple Creek on the third day of the strike, and took control again. The strike was a major success.
After the strike, Calderwood continued as president of the union. Blacklist
ed and unable to find employment as a miner, he worked as an assayer. Calderwood retired as president of the local union in 1901, and was succeeded by John Curry.
In 1897, Calderwood was one of 37 men who formed the Victor Elks Lodge
, No. 367. Calderwood was the First Secretary.
Calderwood wrote about his experiences during the Cripple Creek strike in 1905. Emma Langdon
was the wife of a man who had been a newspaper reporter in Victor, Colorado
, during the Cripple Creek miner's strike of 1903-04. Her husband had been wrongfully imprisoned by the state militia in a notorious bullpen
. Outraged, Langdon wrote and published a book about the 1903-04 strike. Calderwood contributed a chapter to the book, providing background about the 1894 strike. It is the most comprehensive first-person discussion of the strike to be published.
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
, East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders on to North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Little is known about his parentage or life. He went to work in the local coal mines at the age of nine while attending public night school.
Calderwood emigrated to the United States at the age 17, and attended the Mckeesport School of Mines in McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census...
. He graduated in 1876.
After graduation, Calderwood settled in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. He was elected president of a miners' union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
in Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
. In November 1893, he traveled to Cripple Creek, Colorado
Cripple Creek, Colorado
The City of Cripple Creek is a Statutory City that is the county seat of Teller County, Colorado, United States. Cripple Creek is a former gold mining camp located southwest of Colorado Springs near the base of Pikes Peak. The Cripple Creek Historic District, which received National Historic...
at the behest of the Western Federation of Miners
Western Federation of Miners
The Western Federation of Miners was a radical labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into sharp conflicts – and often pitched battles...
(WFM) to organize the miners there.
Calderwood was president of the miner's union during the Cripple Creek miners' strike of 1894
Cripple Creek miners' strike of 1894
The Cripple Creek miners' strike of 1894 was a five-month strike by the Western Federation of Miners in Cripple Creek, Colorado, USA. It resulted in a victory for the union and was followed in 1903 by the Colorado Labor Wars...
. As the strike began, Calderwood left for Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, to attend the second convention of the WFM. His departure fortuitously left Junius J. Johnson, a former U.S. Army officer, in charge of the union. Johnson's planning and cool head helped the miners weather the initial assault by gangs of hired thugs sent to break the strike. Calderwood arrived back in Cripple Creek on the third day of the strike, and took control again. The strike was a major success.
After the strike, Calderwood continued as president of the union. Blacklist
Blacklist
A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
ed and unable to find employment as a miner, he worked as an assayer. Calderwood retired as president of the local union in 1901, and was succeeded by John Curry.
In 1897, Calderwood was one of 37 men who formed the Victor Elks Lodge
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
, No. 367. Calderwood was the First Secretary.
Calderwood wrote about his experiences during the Cripple Creek strike in 1905. Emma Langdon
Emma F. Langdon
Emma Florence Langdon was born in Tennessee in 1875. She moved to the gold mining district of Cripple Creek, Colorado in 1903. She was an apprentice linotype operator who wrote that "women's place should be in the home and not in public life." In spite of such sentiments, she played a very visible...
was the wife of a man who had been a newspaper reporter in Victor, Colorado
Victor, Colorado
Victor is a Statutory City in Teller County, Colorado, United States. The population was 445 at the 2000 census.Victor is in the heart of Colorado's gold country, home to two of the major gold mines in the Cripple Creek mining district...
, during the Cripple Creek miner's strike of 1903-04. Her husband had been wrongfully imprisoned by the state militia in a notorious bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
. Outraged, Langdon wrote and published a book about the 1903-04 strike. Calderwood contributed a chapter to the book, providing background about the 1894 strike. It is the most comprehensive first-person discussion of the strike to be published.