The photographs on this page were received from Louise Woodruff the daughter of Elton L. Taylor. Elton L. Taylor was one of the owners of the Dixon Taylor Russell Furniture Store (D.T.R.) and was the photographer of the pictures. The pictures were found in an envelope with the words "National Miner Union, march on Courthouse, Price." No date was written on the envelope so research was done to determine the day and time. The Taylors did not come to Carbon County until after 1928 so we knew it had to be after that date. The following information was found in the Utah Historical Quarterly, Summer 1973/volume 41/number 3. In the article, "Unionism, Communism and the Great Depression: The Carbon County Coal Strike of 1933" by Helen Z. Papanikolas we read:

On Monday, September 11, four hundred men and women, including several wives of prominent Helper citizens, arrived at the entrance to Price in cars and trucks. Led by Lawrence Mower of Helper, chairman of the strike committee, and Ephraim Towne, NMU leader at National, they formed twelve and fifteen abreast and marched down the main street of the town toward the courthouse. Although word had been sent out by deputies that citizens should stay away from Main Street, the streets were lined with people, almost all of them men. On-lookers crowded together at the windows of two-story buildings.

At the First East intersection Sheriff Bliss stopped the marchers and told them to return to their cars. The National Guard Riot Squad with tear gas equipment and the Price City Fire Department with hose stood behind him. The Price police were stationed on the west side of the intersection, Mayor West and his deputies on the north side of Main Street, and Commissioner Reid and his men on the south sides of it. The state and local highway patrol kept traffic away from the street.

Towne and Mower answered Bliss: "We're going through." National guardsmen then discharged tear gas toward the marchers. Struggling they stood their ground. Water shot out of the fire hose. A motion picture film of the confrontation taken by J. Bracken Lee - whose long political career includes two terms as governor of Utah and three as mayor of Salt Lake City - shows the force of water passing over the marchers, women in long cotton dresses and overalled men. They sway like wheat in the wind.

...Numerous hand to hand combats ensued, the officers being compelled to frequently use the butts of their rifles as clubs...some of the grenades . . [were] thrown back by the demonstrators." (Sun Advocate, September 14, 1933) In Lee's film rifle-carrying deputies smile as they follow the marchers up the railroad tracks west of Main Street to their cars. Young national guardsmen look as if they are enjoying an outing.

For the rest of the story visit the Utah Historical Society website to learn how to obtain a copy of the article.

The photos are in the order that the photographer numbered them but the event could have happened in a different order.  Special thanks to Louise Woodruff for donating these photos.

Front of photo	Back of photo
	There was no writing on the back of this photo.
	There was no writing on the back of this photo.