Heath and History: An Examination of Western Mining

FAIN: FT-13791-78

James C. Foster
Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ 85281-3670)

To study the relationship between the rise of Western mining labor disturbances and the dangers induced by the silica dust that miners breathed. The years 1890-1920 saw a great leap in mining production, but every new worksite meant the threat of silicosis for workers. Three information sources will be used to relate mine health hazards to industrial unrest: 1) data detailing miners' strikes in over 500 Western communities; 2) data on miner mortality rates, safety reports and geological studies; 3) oral histories of western miners who worked in pre-1920 mines.