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Resources
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The purpose of this section is to give the student access to all primary and secondary resources for Unit 3.6: The Great Depression Transforms Montana - 1929 to 1941.
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Historical Documents
"By 1918, disagreements within the union and the state's willingness to support the Anaconda Company by sending the militia to Butte to break strikes had undermined the strength of the miner's union. Low prices and cheaper copper from other Anaconda Company mines caused shutdowns through the mid-1920s. In this period, negotiation and strikes gained nothing for the miners, and troops sometimes forced strikers back to work. Limited recovery in the late 1920s provided increased jobs and wages, but the stock market crash of 1929 sent Butte's economy plummeting again. The Roosevelt Administration's pro-union stance was the one bright spot and, with the backing of federal legislation, the miners organized once more. Butte's local of the Mine, Mill and Smeltermen's Union, with a membership frustrated by twenty years of futility and suffering from the Depression's effects, struck in 1934. The stoppage, involving all mine-mill and craft unions in Butte, Great Falls, and Anaconda, was the most peaceful the industry had experienced since the turn of the century. Company supporters called for troops to halt the strike, but the governor resisted and the strike ended through mediation on September 21, 1934. Four and a half months of solidarity achieved a generally favorable contract. This, combined with increased copper production as a result of military requirements, allowed prosperity and good labor relations to prevail in the Montana copper industry for over a decade" (Montana Historical Society).
"Following the stock market crash in 1929, the Depression rapidly spread throughout the country, drastically altering the conditions of life for everyone. Major institutions in which the society had steadfastly believed during earlier decades failed, taking with them the opportunity, options, and the illusions of a generation. For the destitute, whether they lived on a farm or in the city, the possibility of government intervention became the only source of hope. J. E. Finch's plea to Democratic governor John Erickson typified the growing despair as the Depression deepened" (Montana Historical Society).
"Following the stock market crash in 1929, the Depression rapidly spread throughout the country, drastically altering the conditions of life for everyone. Major institutions in which society had steadfastly believed during earlier decades failed, taking with them the opportunity, options, and the illusions of a generation. For farmers, drought and insects exacerbated the economic downturn. Whether they lived on a farm or in the city, the destitute increasingly looked to the government for hope amidst disaster. The letters below to Democratic governor John Erickson typify the growing despair as the Depression deepened" (Montana Historical Society).
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