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Collection Name:
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Colorado Coal Project
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Title:
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The portal at Somerset, Colorado (pt. 1)
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Creator:
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Margolis, Eric, 1947-
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Creator URI:
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http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n00101170
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Creator:
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McMahan, Ronald L.
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Creator URI:
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http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no94033808
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Subject:
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Coal miners--Children--Colorado
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Subject:
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Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining--Colorado
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Subject URI:
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http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85128770
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Subject:
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Coal mines and mining
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Subject URI:
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http://id.worldcat.org/fast/865355
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Subject:
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Coal mines and mining--Colorado
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Subject URI:
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http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh97002598
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Subject:
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Labor disputes--Colorado
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Subject:
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Lewis, John L., (John Llewellyn), 1880-1969
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Subject URI:
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http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1758648
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Description:
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First footage shows a man interviewing a coal miner in front of a pay phone booth, but there is sporadic sound. Next the film is focused on a coal miner and interviewer who are discussing the UMW (United Mine Workers) strike and contract which was taking place at the time of the filming. They introduce the miner as Bill Morgan, he later says he does electrician work at the mine nearby. He discusses his observations on labor strikes and the struggle for medical and death benefits, and after some banter back and forth with some other miners walking in and around the restaurant, another coal mine worker (he mentions he is technically a carpenter), who they call "Pete" enters the conversation and sits with the men. The increased productivity in the mines, and the changes that have occurred with the passage of decades is discussed briefly, then they state that despite the improvement in working conditions and pay, they still didn't pressure their children to become coal miners because they wanted a better life for them. One miner states that his oldest son worked briefly in the mine but he now teaches classes, and his youngest son became a miner, but not because he was encouraged by Bill Morgan. Both men agree that the union hasn't had great leadership since the death of John L. Lewis. The miners do concede that years ago, they had to "dig trench" or "put up fence" to supplement the irregular hours of the mine in order to make ends meet, and the company store got all of the mining money back for the company in the form of supplies and food. "Pete" tells the interviewers that the "reporting" of the strike issues isn't complete, and the reporters tell the story that they want to tell, so no matter what the miners tell them about the truth of the labor strike, the reality of the situation is never given to the people, so the people just think about how the coal shortage is affecting them, but they don't think about what the miners go through to get them that coal.
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Description Type:
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summary
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Description:
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00:00 The interviewers prepare a retired miner for an interview. 4:00 The sound cuts out and audio is gone. 7:14 Ron or Eric talk about the Colorado Coal Project and their inspiration to do it. 9:00 Bill Morgan, the miner, talks about his background and how long he has been working for the mines. 15:18 Bill sits outside with other miners, such as Pete, from the United Mine Workers of America and continue to talk about the coal strikes. 52:00 The miners walk inside for a beer and the interviewers continue to talk to people outside in the parking lot.
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Description Type:
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Segment sequence
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Publisher:
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University of Colorado Boulder Archives
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Date:
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1978-03-07
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Type:
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Moving image
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Format:
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video/mov
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Identifier:
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135-Portal.mov
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Identifier ARK:
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https://ark.colorado.edu/ark:/47540/dt72975377m3
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Language:
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English
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Coverage (Spatial):
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Somerset (Gunnison, Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)
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Coverage (Spatial):
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Paonia (Delta, Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)
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