Growing Up on the Illinois Prairie During the Great Depression And the Coal Mine Wars: A Portrayal of the Way Life Was

by Earl R. Hutchison

Earl Hutchison has given us a piece of the American mosaic from the poverty-ridden coal towns of Illinois of the 1930s. It is an important memoir about tough people surviving tough times brought on by the extractive industry barons.

Hardcover

Published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book by accident. I was searching for books on coal mining and life in central Illinois. The author portrays his life during the Depression, growing up in a couple of coal-mining towns. The major focus is Virden, Illinois. My Mother grew up in Virden, so I am familiar with many of the names in his book. We are also related through her family to the Dubosh and Hein families that were mentioned in the book. Growing up, my Mom would tell me things about the family and her life as a daughter of a coal miner. Mr. Hutchinson tells several stories that are similar to her life story, which brought back many memories for me. He gives background history about the Virden Coal Mine riot of 1896. This shaped the way in which African Americans were treated thereafter in that town. He tells the side of the coal miners' families and how they were treated differently.