State Historical Society of Iowa

Buxton: Work and Racial Equality in a Coal Mining Community, 1987

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Courtesy of Iowa State University Press, Schwieder, Dorothy, "Buxton: Work and Racial Equality in a Coal Mining Community," The Iowa State University Press, 1987

Description

Professor, researcher and author Dorothy Schwieder published "Buxton: Work and Racial Equality in a Coal Mining Community" in 1987. The first excerpt from this source is a table showing the annual income of selected workers in Buxton in 1914. It shows how lucrative jobs with the railroad were for the citizens of Buxton, and there is no mention of any differences in wages for a person’s ethnicity. The second excerpt from this source provides insight into Buxton’s demise.

Transcribed Excerpts from "Buxton: Work and Racial Equality on a Coal Mining Community"

Source-Dependent Questions

  • How did the incomes of railroad workers compare to other professions in Buxton in 1914?
  • Coal mining and railroad construction were physically difficult and often dangerous, especially thinking about working conditions, materials and tools - even dynamite! What would people have to think about with these kinds of “high risk, high rewards” jobs? Why would they accept such a dangerous job? 

Citation Information

Schwieder, Dorothy, "Buxton: Work and Racial Equality in a Coal Mining Community," The Iowa State University Press, 1987.