When Coal Was King: Ladysmith and the Coal-Mining Industry on Vancouver Island

by John R. Hinde

The town of Ladysmith was one of the most important coal-mining communities on Vancouver Island during the early twentieth century. The Ladysmith miners had a reputation for radicalism and militancy and engaged in bitter struggles for union recognition and economic justice, most notably during the Great Strike of 1912-14. This strike, one of the longest and most violent labour disputes in Canadian history, marked a watershed in the history of the town and the coal industry. When Coal Was King illuminates the origins of the 1912-14 strike by examining the development of the coal industry on Vancouver Island, the founding of Ladysmith, the experience of work and safety in the mines, the process of political and economic mobilization, and how these factors contributed to the development of identity and community. While the Vancouver Island coal industry and the strike have been the focus of a number of popular histories, this book goes beyond to emphasize the importance of class, ethnicity, gender, and community in creating the conditions for the emergence and mobilization of the working-class population. Informed by currend academic debates on the matter and within the discipline, this readable history takes into account extensive archival research, and will appeal to historians and others interested in the history of Vancouver Island.

Genres: History

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Hinde notes, Ladysmith was founded to house coal miners on Vancouver Island, a major industry in the region until 1914. He chronicles how this came about, how the miners lived, and how they interacted with their employer. He finishes with a note about a major strike that lasted from 1912 to 1914, and the miner's efforts to improve their lot. A really interesting look at how a mining community in western Canada lived, and how that industry worked at a social level.

[Rowyn Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written essay. I came away with a greater understanding of community and its need within society as well as the specific community that is created in the mining industries.