Columbine Massacre (1927)

Mon Nov 21, 1927

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On this day in 1927, the Columbine Massacre took place when a crowd of more than 500 miners and their supporters in Serene, Colorado was fired on by a militia of ex-police officers, killing six workers.

On October 18th, 1927, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) called a strike of all mine workers, a call which was quickly heeded in Colorado. Nearly all the mines in Colorado were closed, and the dozen still open did so using imported scab labor.

For the still-operating Columbine mine, scab workers were housed in Serene, which was fortified with barbed wire on the fences and armed guards.

Mass rallies had been held by miners outside the Columbine mine in Serene for several weeks and, on November 21st, 1927, a crowd of more than five hundred workers was fired on by an ex-cop militia. The militia was armed with machine pistols, rifles, riot guns and tear gas grenades.

The workers were fired upon after a dispute on whether or not they could enter the town of Serene. The event is known as the Columbine Massacre. Six people were killed, all miners. No member of the militia was ever held accountable for the violence of that day.