For more than one hundred years, people have come to the Ludlow Massacre Memorial site to remember the dead, to place themselves within a larger narrative of labor history, and to learn about what occurred there. Communities of Ludlow reveals the perseverance, memory, and work that has been done to enrich and share the narratives of the people of Ludlow and the experiences of those who commemorate it.

The history of the Ludlow Massacre encompasses the stories of immigrant groups, women, the working-class, and people of color as much as the story of that tragedy, and the continued relevance of these issues creates a need for remembrance and discussion of how to make the events of the Ludlow Massacre available to contemporary society. The book outlines recent efforts to remember and commemorate this important historical event, documenting the unique collaborations in public scholarship and outreach among the diverse group of people involved in marking the 100-year anniversary of the Ludlow Massacre. The chapters relate the tales of the stewards of the Ludlow Massacre--the various communities that rallied together to keep this history alive and show its relevance, including lineal descendants, members of the United Mine Workers of America, historians, archaeologists, scholars, artists, interpreters, authors, playwrights, and politicians. The book also offers tips, strategies, and cautionary tales for practicing engaged public scholarship.

The history of the Ludlow Massacre has been told as a tragedy of striking miners in the West that occurred during a turbulent time in US labor relations, but it is so much more than that. Communities of Ludlow explores the intersections of public scholarship, advocacy, and personal experience, weaving these perspectives together with models for practicing public scholarship to illustrate the power of creating spaces for sharing ideas and information in an environment that encourages creativity, open dialogue, public outreach, political action, and alternative narratives.

Contributors: Robert Butero, Robin Henry, Michael Jacobson, Elizabeth Jameson, Linda Linville, Matthew Maher, Yolanda Romero

About the Author: Fawn-Amber Montoya is associate dean of honors and professor of history at James Madison University and cochair of the Ludlow Centennial Commemoration Commission. She is the editor of Making an American Workforce and coauthor of Practicing Oral History to Connect University to Community. As professor of history at Colorado State University Pueblo from 2008 to 2018, she received university-wide awards for service, advising, and mentoring.

Karin Larkin is assistant professor and curator in the Anthropology Department at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and vice chair of the Ludlow Centennial Commemoration Commission. She was the second project director for the Colorado Coalfield War Archaeological Project and is coeditor of The Archaeology of Class War and numerous book chapters and articles. She received the Stephen H. Hart Award for Historic Preservation for work on the Colorado Coalfield War Archaeology Project.