Crosses of Iron: The Tragic Story of Dawson, New Mexico, and Its Twin Mining Disasters

by Nick Pappas, Richard Melzer (Foreword)

In October 1913, 261 miners and two rescuers died when a massive explosion ripped through a mine operated by Phelps, Dodge & Company in Dawson, New Mexico. Ten years later, a second blast claimed the lives of another 120 miners. Today, Dawson is a deserted ghost town. All that remains is a sea of white iron crosses memorializing the nearly four hundred miners killed in the two explosions--a death toll unmatched by mine disasters in any other town in America.

Now, to mark the centennial of the second disaster, veteran journalist Nick Pappas tells the tragic story of what was once New Mexico's largest and most modern company town and of how the strong, determined residents of the community coped with two heartbreaking catastrophes.

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2023

Reviews

[Clay Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book with good scholorship about the brief history of a Southwest American mining town.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a fair amount of nonfiction this year, and as I reflect on what I've read, this book "Crosses of Iron" is the one that's really standing out in my memory. For me, it wasn't just the intriguing story. The story about the mines in Dawson, New Mexico was unfamiliar to me. And yes, learning how the coal mine used cutting-edge technology and implemented advanced worker safety practices, only to result in not one but two catastrophic failures, is a sobering reminder about how no one is immune from tragedy. But what really drew me in when reading the book was the way the author tells the story. Without explicitly stating his intent to do so, the author relies heavily on the small, local, daily newspapers that were ubiquitous at the time. Quoting directly from the pages of journals, some of which are long out of print, allows for the voices of those who were affected by the tragedies speak for themselves. And further, those small-town journals, whose reporters and readers were often part of the same community, really captured how the community responded to tragedy to support those most affected by tragic loss. OK, so this is not a story "about" newspapers, but the way the author returns again and again to the distinctive ways the local papers told their own stories about their own communities is a great reminder of how much the "local paper" contributed to cultivating a kind of community that can be harder to find in modern times. This book gave me a lot to think about, and I anticipate a reread. Definitely recommend.

[Bill Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm happiest when reading USA history. If the book or article concerns New Mexico, I'm even happier. I think every child should know about Dawson, especially in New Mexico. Thank you, Nick Pappas, for taking me back in history.

[Richard Bull · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive look back in time and place of hard labor and the ultimate need for unions.