Our Town 100+ Years Ago... May 1900

A new century was beginning, and old politics continued. Butte's McDermott Hotel hosted the state Democratic Central Committee meeting. The working class was trying its best to push back against "the grinding force of trusts and monopolies." Strikes were taking place throughout the country. In Montana, freight conductors and freight brakemen blocked all side tracts on the Great Northern Railway.

Massachusetts had small strikes among painters, carpenters, and related trades. Automotive-related strikes were taking place in New York. About 1,000 workmen struck in Kansas City when employers refuse...