Paul Bunyan and the Timber Workers

1919

This flow follows the symbolic Paul Bunyan from an exploited logger to a figure in the confrontation over industrial democracy.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Forest Empire The Forest Empire from "1919". The Forest Empire Concentrated ownership A handful of interests control enormous quantities of timber in the Pacific Northwest.

The Forest Empire from "1919". The Forest Empire Concentrated ownership A handful of interests control enormous quantities of timber in the Pacific Northwest.

The Forest Empire Concentrated ownership A handful of interests control enormous quantities of timber in the Pacific Northwest. The resource’s scale contrasts with the insecure lives of the workers who harvest it. The worker as folk figure Paul Bunyan represents the lumberjack whose labor is immense but whose share of the wealth is small. The legend becomes a way to narrate class relations.

The I.W.W. Organizes The I.W.W. Organizes from "1919". The I.W.W. Organizes Demands for dignity Organizers demand decent pay, clean bunkhouses, adequate food, and an eight-hour day.

The I.W.W. Organizes from "1919". The I.W.W. Organizes Demands for dignity Organizers demand decent pay, clean bunkhouses, adequate food, and an eight-hour day.

The I.W.W. Organizes Demands for dignity Organizers demand decent pay, clean bunkhouses, adequate food, and an eight-hour day. They imagine workers controlling the industries that depend on them. A challenge to ownership The demands threaten not only wages but the authority of timber owners. The conflict turns practical living conditions into a struggle over who should govern production.

The 1918 Hall Raid The 1918 Hall Raid from "1919". The 1918 Hall Raid Violence against organizers Patriotic groups raid an I.W.W. hall, attack workers, and destroy radical materials.

The 1918 Hall Raid from "1919". The 1918 Hall Raid Violence against organizers Patriotic groups raid an I.W.W. hall, attack workers, and destroy radical materials.

The 1918 Hall Raid Violence against organizers Patriotic groups raid an I.W.W. hall, attack workers, and destroy radical materials. Officials and business interests present the assault as defense of the community. A recurring warning The raid demonstrates that the workers’ organizational space can be destroyed without resolving their complaints. The union nevertheless continues to grow.

The Armistice Day Attack The Armistice Day Attack from "1919". The Armistice Day Attack A renewed confrontation The celebration of the armistice becomes the setting for a raid on the union hall.

The Armistice Day Attack from "1919". The Armistice Day Attack A renewed confrontation The celebration of the armistice becomes the setting for a raid on the union hall.

The Armistice Day Attack A renewed confrontation The celebration of the armistice becomes the setting for a raid on the union hall. Wesley Everest and other workers defend themselves as the attack unfolds. Patriotic power turns coercive The clash exposes the tension between public celebration and the suppression of labor. The end of the war has not ended political violence.

The Legend’s Bitter End The Legend’s Bitter End from "1919". The Legend’s Bitter End A worker’s martyrdom Wesley Everest is murdered by a mob, while other loggers are imprisoned.

The Legend’s Bitter End from "1919". The Legend’s Bitter End A worker’s martyrdom Wesley Everest is murdered by a mob, while other loggers are imprisoned.

The Legend’s Bitter End A worker’s martyrdom Wesley Everest is murdered by a mob, while other loggers are imprisoned. Official accounts attempt to conceal the violence. Folk hero, real victims Paul Bunyan’s symbolic world is no longer a story of harmless strength. It is tied to actual workers whose courage cannot protect them from organized power.

Before the labor confrontations of 1918

During labor organizing in the logging camps

On Memorial Day 1918

On Armistice Day 1919

After the Centralia killings