Serene, Colorado
Encyclopedia
Serene, Colorado was a company town
owned by the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company
.
Serene had company housing, a post office, a tipple
, and was the site of the Columbine Mine.
miners conducted a statewide strike
that had been called by the Industrial Workers of the World
. The Columbine Mine at Serene was the only major coal mine
in the state that continued to dig coal. In her book Once A Coal Miner, author Phyllis Smith described the company town of Serene:
The Colorado State Ranger Unit (the former "dry unit" from prohibition days) was summoned to prevent a demonstration by striking coal miners.
Some 500 protestors showed up at the mine on the morning of November 21. The confrontation between strikers and the militia unit resulted in the Columbine Mine Massacre
, in which six miners were killed by machine gun, rifle and pistol fire.
, north of the State of Colorado Historical Marker
that commemorates the Columbine Mine Massacre
. The area that once was the company town of Serene is now a public landfill
in extreme southwestern Weld County
, just outside the limits of the town of Erie
and the city of Broomfield
.
Company town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
owned by the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company
Rocky Mountain Fuel Company
The Rocky Mountain Fuel Company was a coal mining company located in Colorado, operating mines in Louisville, Lafayette, and other locations north and west of Denver. The mine was founded by John J. Roche to supply coal to sugar beet factories. During the 1930s, the company was the...
.
Serene had company housing, a post office, a tipple
Coal preparation plant
A coal preparation plant is a facility that washes coal of soil and rock, preparing it for transport to market. A CPP may also be called a "coal handling and preparation plant" , "prep plant," "tipple," or "wash plant"....
, and was the site of the Columbine Mine.
History
In 1927 Colorado coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
miners conducted a statewide strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
that had been called by the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
. The Columbine Mine at Serene was the only major coal mine
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
in the state that continued to dig coal. In her book Once A Coal Miner, author Phyllis Smith described the company town of Serene:
- ...a collection of dirty company houses surrounded by a barricade of barbed wire, illuminated at night by a giant searchlight that was installed on the Columbine tipple.
- In addition to living quarters for the employees of the Columbine, Serene boasted a church, a gambling hall, general store, mess hall, a house of prostitution, and the United States post office...
- Because of its location, Serene was "cut off from the world and from outside workers ... despite its name, dingy little Serene epitomized the conditions the miners were striking against."
The Colorado State Ranger Unit (the former "dry unit" from prohibition days) was summoned to prevent a demonstration by striking coal miners.
Some 500 protestors showed up at the mine on the morning of November 21. The confrontation between strikers and the militia unit resulted in the Columbine Mine Massacre
Columbine Mine massacre
The first Columbine Massacre, sometimes called the Columbine Mine massacre to distinguish it from the Columbine High School massacre, occurred in 1927, in the town of Serene, Colorado. A fight broke out between Colorado state police and a group of striking coal miners, during which the unarmed...
, in which six miners were killed by machine gun, rifle and pistol fire.
Geography
Serene was located on rolling hills just west of the present-day Interstate 25 on State Highway 7Colorado State Highway 7
State Highway 7 in the U.S. state of Colorado is a state highway. Approximately long, it is located in the north-central portion of the state, traversing the mountains on the east of the continental divide south of Estes Park as well as portions of the Colorado Piedmont north of Denver...
, north of the State of Colorado Historical Marker
Historical marker
A historical marker or historic marker is an indicator such as a plaque or sign to commemorate an event or person of historic interest and to associate that point of interest with a specific locale one can visit.-Description:...
that commemorates the Columbine Mine Massacre
Columbine Mine massacre
The first Columbine Massacre, sometimes called the Columbine Mine massacre to distinguish it from the Columbine High School massacre, occurred in 1927, in the town of Serene, Colorado. A fight broke out between Colorado state police and a group of striking coal miners, during which the unarmed...
. The area that once was the company town of Serene is now a public landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
in extreme southwestern Weld County
Weld County, Colorado
As of the census of 2000, there were 180,936 people, 63,247 households, and 45,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 66,194 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
, just outside the limits of the town of Erie
Erie, Colorado
Erie is a Statutory Town in Boulder and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. The estimated population according to the 2010 US Census is 18,135 and was recorded as 6,291 at the 2000 census. The Town of Erie is located just west of I-25 for easy access to I-70, Denver International Airport...
and the city of Broomfield
Broomfield, Colorado
The City and County of Broomfield is a prominent suburb and tier of the Denver metropolitan area in the State of Colorado of the United States. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The...
.