Bituminous coal miners' strike incitement events of Muchakinock, IA 1879-1900: An historical geographic analysis of how a company town became a union town

Abstract

Examining the creation and peopling of the Consolidated Coal Company (CCC) company town Muchakinock, Iowa through the industrial labor migrations of Welsh, Swedes and African-American residents, this thesis focuses upon the social contestations between workers, owners and unions during four bituminous coal miners' strike incitement events in town history (1879–1900). Presenting some of the most comprehensive historical geography research to date on the company town of Muchakinock, the thesis presents eight claims for resident's strike resistance and ultimate capitulation and union affiliation; and the associated spread of capitalism and trade-unionism across Iowa's coal mining landscapes during the Gilded Age. Seeking a normalization of historical discourse, findings revealed the presence of conflicting discourses in existent historical communications content between predominantly white and African American historical communications content, and identified the emergence of a hegemonic discourse largely based on the representations of the former. More than just a micro-history of the relict company town of Muchakinock, Iowa, the thesis variously explores Muchakinock's wider network of connected geographies across Iowa terrains and the United States.