HR 5871

110th CONGRESS
2d Session

H. R. 5871

To designate the Ludlow Massacre National Historic Landmark in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 22, 2008

Mr. SALAZAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

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A BILL

To designate the Ludlow Massacre National Historic Landmark in the State of Colorado, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Ludlow Massacre National Historic Landmark Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that--

(1) the 1913-1914 Colorado coal strike was 1 of the most visible and violent labor conflicts of the early 20th century;

(2) the coal strike began in September 1913, when coal miners walked out of southern Colorado coal mines to protest for--

(A) higher wages;

(B) enforcement of State mining and labor laws; and

(C) union recognition;

(3) striking miners and their families, evicted from company towns, lived in tent colonies, including the Ludlow Tent Colony, near the entrances to the canyons that led to the mines;

(4) on April 20, 1914, a day-long battle between strikers and the Colorado National Guard erupted at the Ludlow Tent Colony, which resulted in multiple deaths, including the deaths of 2 women and 11 children who were trapped in a shelter under a tent that was engulfed in flames when the colony was set on fire;

(5) in response to the violence, President Woodrow Wilson dispatched the United States Army to the strike zone;

(6) the United Mine Workers of America declared an end to the strike on December 10, 1914;

(7) the events of April 20, 1914--

(A) were dubbed the `Ludlow Massacre'; and

(B) stirred national outrage, including protests by citizens and investigations by Congress and the U.S. Commission on Industrial Relations;

(8) following the Ludlow Massacre, the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, the largest coal producer in southern Colorado, undertook several actions, including--

(A) launching the first major public relations campaigns by a company in the history of the United States; and

(B) creating a company union, which was outlawed in 1935 under the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 191 et seq.);

(9) the 1913-1914 Colorado coal strike and the Ludlow Massacre have been, and continue to be, the focus of historical and archaeological inquiries, including a book by the Honorable George McGovern and Herbert Guttridge entitled `The Great Coalfield War';

(10) since the 1918 dedication of the Ludlow Massacre Memorial at the Ludlow Tent Colony Site, the United Mine Workers of America has--

(A) maintained the Ludlow Massacre Memorial; and

(B) held an annual memorial service to honor the memory of the people who died in the strike;

(11) the Ludlow Massacre Memorial continues to function as a site of memory, at which thousands of visitors from around the world record their reactions as well as personal and family stories of the 1913-1914 strike; and

(12) the Ludlow Tent Colony Site has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of--

(A) the national significance of the history of the site;

(B) the importance of the site as a memorial site; and

(C) the archaeological resources of the site.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) LANDMARK- The term `Landmark' means the Ludlow Massacre National Historic Landmark designated by section 4(a).

(2) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of the Interior.

(3) STATE- The term `State' means the State of Colorado.

SEC. 4. LUDLOW MASSACRE NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK.

(a) Designation- The Ludlow Tent Colony Site in Las Animas County, Colorado, as listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is designated as the `Ludlow Massacre National Historic Landmark'.

(b) Administration- Consistent with part 65 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), designation of the Ludlow Tent Colony Site as a National Historic Landmark shall not prohibit any actions that may otherwise be taken by the owner of the Landmark with respect to the Landmark under Federal law (including regulations).

(c) Cooperative Agreements-

(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary, in consultation with the State, may enter into cooperative agreements with appropriate public or private entities for the purposes of--

(A) protecting historic resources at the Landmark; and

(B) providing educational and interpretive facilities and programs at the Landmark for the public.

(2) TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE- The Secretary may provide technical and financial assistance to any entity with which the Secretary has entered into a cooperative agreement under paragraph (1) to carry out the cooperative agreement.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.

END