Never Forget Where You Came From
In a time of automation and accumulation, it’s nice to be reminded of where we came from. It’s nice to be reminded of what was done before us by those who brought us into this world. A place of speedy net connections, high tech hand held devices and social networking as we try to make the most of our looping 24 hours days. Albertans continue to reap the benefits of natural resources and economic booms while other people in other places struggle with their dollar or start wars within their own borders. The “Alberta Advantage” has long since been with us and in 1911 men came from all over to work in the mines opening up in Alberta.
Just as we use dog tags in the military, they used brass badges that were pinned to their chest. At the end of each day, they were accounted for and any brass badge missing was a man missing. And they would lose one man to the mines about once every three months. Once a week, they’d haul into the wash house where they would clean up and retrieve their hanging clothes. It offered one room to clean up in, one row of shower heads, one sink and one furnace. The living quarters were probably no bigger than a 10×10 room but were probably more desirable than those who were still in tents.
Rumors of making up to $55/day attracted a flood of workers and immigrants. They paid the men 93 cents for every ton of coal and in 1945, the company had paid out over a half a million dollars in wages. Alberta continued to prosper in its coal mining industry until the Leduc Oil Strike in 1948.
As I walked through a display of our history, I found a humanity in it. A story (or many) of how we got here. Men who left their families to start up again with intentions to provide their loved ones with something greater. Men who learned a new language to work in some of the most dangerous and unhealthy of conditions. Men who had partaken in one of the biggest labor strikes and fought for their own worth. Women who had later joined the miners as World War I began. Younger children who had been subjected to child labor due to their conveniently small sizes and ability to fit in 3-5 foot high spaces.
The small tour I took gave me back some roots. We race against traffic every morning trying to get to our PCs so we can crunch some numbers, make really great powerpoint presentations and constantly move forward. In the midst of our ever repeating days, I wanted to share my own thoughts – never forget where you came from.
