Early Mining To see vintage footage of early 1900s miners in action, view this silent Quicktime movie. Many turn-of-the-century European immigrants like Joe Hill found strenous and life-threatening work in the mines. (Courtesy: Library of Congress) There were few champions for workers at the bottom rung of the labor ladder in the first years of the Twentieth Century. The jobs most often taken by immigrants were the unskilled, heavy-lifting jobs in the booming industries of steel, railroads and mining. Labor agents under contract to large employers would travel to Europe to recruit immigrant labor with promises of high pay, comfortable homes, and a piece of the American dream. In the uneven days before unions, ethnic groups were often brought in to break strikes. Greeks would replace striking American workers. Italians would replace the Greeks. Slavs would replace the Italians. With little safety regulation or oversight, mining in particular was a dangerous--even deadly--way of life. And the lives of miners could be considered one of the costs of doing business. Beyond the risk posed by accidents and explosions--mining could also exact a heavy toll on those who were able to stay on the job. "The lungs become clogged from inhaling coal dust. The body and limbs become stiff and sore. The mind loses the power of thought. after twelve years the lungs are black. The miner dies at 35 of the miner's consumption. The men are dying by inches, and the world knows not," said Andrew Roy. Every minute of each day in the life of an immigrant worker could be owned by the mine company. "First off, they were your employer. Secondly, they were your landlord. You bought groceries from the company store. They really reached into every aspect of a person's life. Even if you're making high wages, you're going to continue to be in debt if you're paying 95 percent of your check to the company town or store or whatever. 95 percent is 95 percent," says John Sillito, historian. It was through this landscape of an unskilled working class of immigrants that Joel Haagland drifted for eight years. From road crews to timber camps to loading docks on the California Coast, the Swedish immigrant passed through America. The idealism of the early days had vanished. Read on for more                 About the Program || Joe Hill Home || PBS Home