Everett Massacre

Strike

In 1916, shingle weavers went on strike in Everett, Washington, protesting for an 8-hour work day and restoration of 1914 wages.

Indifferent to the dangerous work and low pay of shingle weavers, lumber mill owners dug in and refused.

IWW gets involved

Then, a radical labor union - the Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies - came to town to take up the cause.

Sheriff Donald McRae bullied the Wobblies to drive them out. He would stop at nothing - including violating Constitutional Rights and using violence - to rid Everett of the "outsiders."

"Bloody Sunday"

The average citizen of Everett was left in the crossfire of rising tension. On November 5, 1916, a bloody gunfight broke out on the docks, and the tragic day became infamous for the "Everett Massacre."