South by Northwest: Blacks in the Pacific Northwest; The Roslyn Migration

Why why. Was when Washington. Founded in 18 ABC. By the Northern Pacific we'll. Call it been discovered on we have a property and they probably ran a sort of line into the reach of. The miners and immigrants came and drove. Us. They settled the community to the rapid growth of about twelve hundred people in the short span of only two years. Yes.

Thank you thank you minutely by the numbers on some of them. It was a gentle sweet looks like an explosion. There are probably deep down yeah I could hardly hear it it's a small and I'm sure that so far as you know injuries only nominating Yang get accounts week. Well the count is good. Everybody is out. There no injuries. Fine get a team together. All in tears. And to check the damage report back to me. We don't want to lose any more than 15 minutes here. The rest of the men go back to work. Mr. Ramos or. They won't work. They won't go back to work. That is they're not going to go back into the mines.

Or strike. You tell them. And if they have one minute to get back into that mind. Just one minute to get back to learn. Their work or get up this morning you understand me. Now. You have just never seen seconds to get back to work. There were Irishman and Scotsman in the Welshman and they came with their families to build a new life in the north west. They came to build homes. They came to work in the mines but the conditions at the Rosslyn mines were poor. The hours were long and hard so the miners set about to make a change. They demanded shorter

hours makeshift breaks and more safety precautions. Perhaps the strike of 1888 was their only hope for change. But to history the change to come was the migration of blacks to the Pacific Northwest. If you don't like it. Well Xander Brown. Been to Russia. Yeah yeah. Because. The. NGO servers. I see Mr.. Old.

Letters every time. I Mr. Ronald I do are you sit down sit down please. Thank you. I hope you enjoy your journey. Mr. Shepherdson. I'm a man that likes to get down to cases. I have need of your service. You have the reputation of getting the job done. I hope that we can come to terms. Well I hope so otherwise that you're going to have an Illinois just when we were down I mean we see over time we've got Montana and neither of us wants that. Now then Mr. chevrons and I need men or men who are not afraid to work. Miners I mean miners there's a mine out there full of coal. Now my people want that coal. That's what

they paid me for. Northerners are good company. They pay well. They'll pay you well. I'll pay top dollar for the good miners just get them here. Now I believe a man ought to have a chance to work his words. So I'm set no limit on wages. I'll pay top dollar Like I said. The more coal man brings out the more I'll pay. You know what looks like to me going to strike on you. And. Then folks I bring up getting on the strikebreakers. I think I'm in trouble. You afraid of trouble. No no. But then again I'm going to mine and you won't have the trouble. Let me tell you something you see I sell. So it was Mr. Wright also. People if I ask anybody to come up here I want to have a sponsor for. You might say that. That's one of my weakness. Well they'll have protection. I won't be any trouble. Not for

you not for them. We had to teal detective agency. They'll supply armed protection. All we need. To do you good. I don't worry about that Mr. Shepherdson. They work for Northern Pacific. They do with it all. I know what it's like. That's savage crazy about my book man. They jumped me and broke my leg tied me to the railroad track and just left me there to die. The railroad man blew me off the track. So I owe them a debt of trust that they will deserve to be able to get the protection that they need. So I assume I'm going to expect results. How soon can you deliver. I don't know Chicago.

Why there was. A letter. You're sure about the time you know what I mean you know what I heard everything and some negro miners in Dover Kiran. I'm telling you straight out for sure. Well there's a trend over about the right right. Is that right. Yeah there's a train about 318. I don't know probably beyond that OK. OK well I'm going to be right when we're going to come here and take my job. That I just I just said.

The truest. Thing. Just to get excited. You know I'm real.

It's. Mischievous in. Me and. We was wondering yes. I mean. What kind of place is this year. I mean for us. What kind of people spend good money to bring us all the way up here to work in their.

Search. I don't pretend to know the reasons for my things it's why from. My just that I mistrust you. You just don't know. What's. Going to cause some of this money. Might. Be just. No. My family or. I don't I don't know me. And they don't pay a good one can wait what I told you is true. That mine got more than you want to date so there's plenty of work. Plenty of food. Food you can eat. But not. Doing a lot of House. So we all got to do that to the families up the bill itself. Also we only got one church set aside for. Now we can work it out when we get down there. Gets mighty cold. How come I mean calling. You thank you was comin back and you'll know I just imagine you sumpin twice is going to have been your life.

Maybe I'm the first black man in the Parsley's was my fault and I'm the first one you see. One time. I don't believe. This discrimination against blacks. I'm saying that. But. I gotta tell you. We're going to strike. To get an organized labor union demands and we're going to strike bridges to might mean a lot from. In strike breakers. Another aspect will always have my phone decided just let us be. What I'm worried about is the engines. I mean it's a hostile. I heard stories about the raid. Now here's how I feel about. You know I'm going to be funny I'm. Coming for you. I am.

Going to want to start right there with gray. We're going to let them people come and take us. Right. Morning. We got some hard times ahead of us. Already that Ronald is trying to talk some of the boys into coming back to the mines but we're going to shine on. We're gonna hold out. If we all stick together we can get all those back to give us everything we want. Just to kind of. Return on time. That was later.

On. Yeah. OK we've got a white collar in the mines make sure you get it. You. Are an. O and. O rā and

yeah. Oh. Yeah. Oh. Yeah. I am. Yeah. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am. I am.

I am. By March 1889 some 200 blacks were working in the mines. By the end of that year more men and their families began to arrive. The number had increased to 400 by the summer of 1890. Some of the whites began drifting back to work. You said A. Fan. Ran all the way home. And.

Was pounding so hard in your right. It was tell you about yourself but it was so high an engine just gave Mark to. Market and he kept going very green over any case for the. Country. Someday it will be them that and. How that as much as we start our own wallets going back to work every day. Not easy to work but they just keep coming back just the same. Maybe someday we will all just be landing. Someday. He's still a

bird. Here to tell you what I came here for was to be especially invited to the big celebration on the 4th the 4th. Yeah. What you drinkin a Sam in the fourth or you talk about the fourth is coming next year. This is only a grand celebration. That's the west Emancipation Day. We plan on winning tonight. It's going to be bigger than ever this year. I am.

Why do you want to own. The air.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. If I'm in here. You can hear me talk UK me to eat. Been there for them in a way. I would say to anybody here think. This is not the. Way. I'm real proud of.

Only in the new member. Would you meet. Not here. And I wouldn't meet. With. Him and.

Would Never. Even play. Candy did. They. Thank you. You're right we've got to OK. Thanks. Sam. Sam here. Hey we restarting your boy off to work you for months. And. So did Mark thank you so. Much is almost over. Yeah can I just you know well can I go down in a mine would you know what you want to go down there. Never a word to Sammy. Brenda Boyle see how lazy. Come on down in the mine. Take a look inside. Speculum working every fall on. All your boy. My name is Mark Mark Weaver 19 and then Mark we were right. Come on come on. Let me go down.

Why not. Oh whoa. Mark you know look you know mine is that these are. Yeah you do what I tell you. Don't ask why. Hard word to. You like a. Man. There is a dream of exodus of a journey. There are hopes of freedom in this. There are

restitution of peace and grace and the promise of the greatest revelation. For the worker and investing labor for the farmer and never waver. From the shackles of the past. And the sunken hearts and painful tears. The courage to forgive. May God have mercy. On us. Many of the black miners died and were buried in rising. Presently there were only three black families living. Long is the Kraven family. This is Ethel Craven who is the direct descendant of a miner who came to Roslyn on that first train. Today. Her grandson is the mayor of Roscoe Washington. CRAVEN. Yes I have been great. Danielle

Craven who came from 1920 to a mining coal. He worked in 1956. He passed away in 1969 and you lack.