Hard, hard times in the 1930s. I hope they did OK in Houston. My great-granddad and his older brother worked for the Frisco as brakemen, and they managed to hang on to jobs during the Depression. They were lucky! - Heather http://hblair.uchicago.edu/ On Wed, 13 Jun 2007, Pat Miller wrote: > I know a man who is now in his late 70's that remembers his father > losing his job in northern Arkansas because of a railroad strike. The > big railroad companies just closed down the small lines and put everyone > out of work. The family had to move to Houston, Texas to find a job. He > was just a very small boy at the time, so it was probably in the 1930s > or late 20s. > Pat, > > heather e blair wrote: >> Now I'm wondering if the IWW was a presence down in Peirce City. Were >> they trying to organize railroad workers? They were a big organization >> at one point, but the mainstream labor unions prevailed over them and >> now they are a teeny-tiny organization that just prints a song book as >> far as I can tell. It includes the classic "Halleluja, I'm a Bum!" >> >> There was a railroad strike on the Missouri and North Arkansas line in >> 1921 in Harrison, Boone Co., Arkansas where bridges were destroyed: >> >> http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=749 >> >> - Heather >> >> http://hblair.uchicago.edu/ >> >> >> >> On Tue, 12 Jun 2007 Dwestcw@aol.com wrote: >> >> >>> In the late 1800's and into the early 1900's there was a strong socialist >>> movement in the United States. This movement was anti-capitalist and >>> antagonistic to the railroads and other large business organizations. Take-over of >>> the U.S. Government was also one of their goals. (The IWW or "Wobbleys" were >>> part of this movement.) The socialists in the U.S. followed the radical >>> theories of Karl Marx and other international socialists. >>> >>> Although I have no information on the railroad bridge incident at Pierce >>> City I suspect that it was aimed at the railroad, but it could have been >>> targeting the Army troops, too, because they were a representation of the authority >>> of the U.S. government. >>> >>> With the advent of World War One, the socialist movement largely dissipated. >>> However, there are some advocates of a socialist state in this country now, >>> mostly pinhead professors in the humanities departments of colleges and >>> universities and a few self-serving politicians. There are also some anarchists, >>> but they are, fortunately, a very small group. Anarchists are predominantly >>> poorly educated and not very bright based on their literature and an >>> encounter I had with a couple of them a few years ago. (Anarchists advocate no >>> civil authority and are anti-capitalist.) >>> >>> Dale >>> >>> >>> >>> ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MOLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>> >>> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MOLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> >> > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MOLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

It is my understanding that this had nothing to do with the Depression, but with the strike. The railroads were making lots of money and everyone involved was employed. Pat, heather e blair wrote: > Hard, hard times in the 1930s. I hope they did OK in Houston. My > great-granddad and his older brother worked for the Frisco as brakemen, > and they managed to hang on to jobs during the Depression. They were > lucky! > > - Heather > > http://hblair.uchicago.edu/ > > > > On Wed, 13 Jun 2007, Pat Miller wrote: > > >> I know a man who is now in his late 70's that remembers his father >> losing his job in northern Arkansas because of a railroad strike. The >> big railroad companies just closed down the small lines and put everyone >> out of work. The family had to move to Houston, Texas to find a job. He >> was just a very small boy at the time, so it was probably in the 1930s >> or late 20s. >> Pat, >> >> heather e blair wrote: >> >>> Now I'm wondering if the IWW was a presence down in Peirce City. Were >>> they trying to organize railroad workers? They were a big organization >>> at one point, but the mainstream labor unions prevailed over them and >>> now they are a teeny-tiny organization that just prints a song book as >>> far as I can tell. It includes the classic "Halleluja, I'm a Bum!" >>> >>> There was a railroad strike on the Missouri and North Arkansas line in >>> 1921 in Harrison, Boone Co., Arkansas where bridges were destroyed: >>> >>> http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=749 >>> >>> - Heather >>> >>> http://hblair.uchicago.edu/ >>> >>> >>> >>> On Tue, 12 Jun 2007 Dwestcw@aol.com wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>>> In the late 1800's and into the early 1900's there was a strong socialist >>>> movement in the United States. This movement was anti-capitalist and >>>> antagonistic to the railroads and other large business organizations. Take-over of >>>> the U.S. Government was also one of their goals. (The IWW or "Wobbleys" were >>>> part of this movement.) The socialists in the U.S. followed the radical >>>> theories of Karl Marx and other international socialists. >>>> >>>> Although I have no information on the railroad bridge incident at Pierce >>>> City I suspect that it was aimed at the railroad, but it could have been >>>> targeting the Army troops, too, because they were a representation of the authority >>>> of the U.S. government. >>>> >>>> With the advent of World War One, the socialist movement largely dissipated. >>>> However, there are some advocates of a socialist state in this country now, >>>> mostly pinhead professors in the humanities departments of colleges and >>>> universities and a few self-serving politicians. There are also some anarchists, >>>> but they are, fortunately, a very small group. Anarchists are predominantly >>>> poorly educated and not very bright based on their literature and an >>>> encounter I had with a couple of them a few years ago. (Anarchists advocate no >>>> civil authority and are anti-capitalist.) >>>> >>>> Dale >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. >>>> >>>> ------------------------------- >>>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MOLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MOLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MOLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MOLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > >

This string on the bridge got me thinking along a totally different tangent so I changed the title. My mind works that way sometimes. :-) My dad also worked for the Frisco railroad as a machinist but he was not so lucky and ended up being layed off. I remember him saying that he had to rent our house and that the bank let him pay just the interest. I know he did some farming but I also remember him saying he worked for the pipeline when it was being built through that area. Does anyone know when that pipeline was built? I seem to remember him saying it was the first one to go from Texas to Chicago. Dan ----- Original Message ----- From: "heather e blair" <h431@uchicago.edu> To: <molawren@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 11:29 AM Subject: Re: [MOLAWREN] S. L. Morris and Romelia Flowers of Peirce City, MO. > Hard, hard times in the 1930s. I hope they did OK in Houston. My > great-granddad and his older brother worked for the Frisco as brakemen, > and they managed to hang on to jobs during the Depression. They were > lucky! > > - Heather > > http://hblair.uchicago.edu/ > > > > On Wed, 13 Jun 2007, Pat Miller wrote: > >> I know a man who is now in his late 70's that remembers his father >> losing his job in northern Arkansas because of a railroad strike. The >> big railroad companies just closed down the small lines and put everyone >> out of work. The family had to move to Houston, Texas to find a job. He >> was just a very small boy at the time, so it was probably in the 1930s >> or late 20s. >> Pat, >> >> heather e blair wrote: >>> Now I'm wondering if the IWW was a presence down in Peirce City. Were >>> they trying to organize railroad workers? They were a big organization >>> at one point, but the mainstream labor unions prevailed over them and >>> now they are a teeny-tiny organization that just prints a song book as >>> far as I can tell. It includes the classic "Halleluja, I'm a Bum!" >>> >>> There was a railroad strike on the Missouri and North Arkansas line in >>> 1921 in Harrison, Boone Co., Arkansas where bridges were destroyed: >>> >>> http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=749 >>> >>> - Heather >>> >>> http://hblair.uchicago.edu/ >>> >>> >>> >>> On Tue, 12 Jun 2007 Dwestcw@aol.com wrote: >>> >>> >>>> In the late 1800's and into the early 1900's there was a strong >>>> socialist >>>> movement in the United States. This movement was anti-capitalist and >>>> antagonistic to the railroads and other large business organizations. >>>> Take-over of >>>> the U.S. Government was also one of their goals. (The IWW or >>>> "Wobbleys" were >>>> part of this movement.) The socialists in the U.S. followed the >>>> radical >>>> theories of Karl Marx and other international socialists. >>>> >>>> Although I have no information on the railroad bridge incident at >>>> Pierce >>>> City I suspect that it was aimed at the railroad, but it could have >>>> been >>>> targeting the Army troops, too, because they were a representation of >>>> the authority >>>> of the U.S. government. >>>> >>>> With the advent of World War One, the socialist movement largely >>>> dissipated. >>>> However, there are some advocates of a socialist state in this country >>>> now, >>>> mostly pinhead professors in the humanities departments of colleges >>>> and >>>> universities and a few self-serving politicians. There are also some >>>> anarchists, >>>> but they are, fortunately, a very small group. Anarchists are >>>> predominantly >>>> poorly educated and not very bright based on their literature and an >>>> encounter I had with a couple of them a few years ago. (Anarchists >>>> advocate no >>>> civil authority and are anti-capitalist.) >>>> >>>> Dale >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> ************************************** See what's free at >>>> http://www.aol.com. >>>> >>>> ------------------------------- >>>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>>> MOLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >>>> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>>> >>>> >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>> MOLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >>> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> MOLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MOLAWREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message