The Butte Irish: Class and Ethnicity in an American Mining Town, 1875-1925In this pioneering study, David Emmons tells the story of Butte's large and assertive population of Irish immigrants. He traces their backgrounds in Ireland, the building of an ethnic community in Butte, the nature and hazards of their work in the copper mines, and the complex interplay between Irish nationalism and worker consciousness. From a treasure trove of "Irish stuff," the reports, minutes, and correspondence of the major Irish-American organizations in Butte, Emmons shows how the stalwart supporters of the RELA and the Ancient Order of Hiberians marched and drilled for Irish freedom---and how, as they ran the town, the miners' union, and the largest mining companies, they used this tradition of ethnic cooperation to ensure safe and steady work, Irish mines taking care of Irish miners. Butte was new, overwhelmingly Irish, and extraordinarily dangerous---the ideal place to test the seam between class and ethnicity. |
Contents
Out of Ireland | 1 |
From Ireland to Butte | 13 |
Remembered Pasts | 35 |
Butte America Building an Irish Community | 61 |
Church Party and Fraternity The Irish and Their Associations | 94 |
Safe and Steady Work The Irish and the Hazards of Butte | 133 |
Irishmen and Workers The Origins of a Western WorkingClass Conservatism 18781907 | 180 |
Irish Worker Conservatism and the Butte Miners Union 18801910 | 221 |
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Common terms and phrases
American Anaconda Standard AOH D1 Battle for Butte Boyce Brondel Brophy Butte Bystander Butte Miners Butte's Irish Carroll Census Church City Directory Clan-na-Gael Connolly conservatism Copper Camp Daly's Davitt death Dept Devoy Dues Ledgers emigration Emmets enclave ethnic example Foner Gaelic Helena Hennessy Hibernia Hall Hibernians History ibid Industrial Commission Ireland Irish associations Irish community Irish immigrants Irish miners Irish nationalism Irish Volunteers Irish workers Irish World Irish-American Irish-American Nationalism Irishmen James John July June labor Land League Larkin Lynch Marcus Daly Membership and Dues Miners Magazine Mining at Butte MMWU Molly Maguires Montana Socialist non-Irish O'Daly officers organizations Patrick patriot patriot game Pearse-Connollys percent political Polk Proceedings protest radicalism RELA Report rustling card Sept Silver Bow County social steady Sullivan union University of Montana wages Walkowitz West Cork Worker City working-class