SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 28

(By Senators Rowe, McCabe, Ross, Hunter, Unger, White and Fanning)


Requesting the Division of Highways name the bridge located on the West Virginia Turnpike at milepost 83.43, spanning Cabin Creek and Kanawha County Route 79/3, as the "Mother Jones Labor Heritage Bridge".

Whereas, Mary Harris Jones, renowned octogenarian and rabble rousing labor organizer, known as "Mother Jones" or "Miners' Angel", was active in the labor movement early in the 20th century when the United States was changing dramatically from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy; and
Whereas, Mother Jones came to national attention during the Paint Creek--Cabin Creek coal mine strike in West Virginia in 1912 when she was 82 years old; and
Whereas, On September 21, 1912, Mother Jones led a march of miners' wives and children through the streets of Charleston to dramatize conditions under which the miners were working; and
Whereas, The resulting furor from this march and her speeches during this strike resulted in Mother Jones being arrested, tried and convicted by a martial law court and subsequently imprisoned in a boarding house in Pratt, West Virginia; and
Whereas, Her imprisonment caused the United States Senate to order a commission to investigate conditions in the West Virginia coalfields; and
Whereas, Mother Jones was set free from prison by newly elected West Virginia Governor Henry Drury Hatfield and continued her nationwide crusade to encourage working people to join labor unions. She made her last fiery public speech at her 100th birthday party on May 1, 1930; and
Whereas, It is fitting that the interstate bridge spanning Cabin Creek and Route 79/3, known as Cabin Creek Road, in Kanawha County be dedicated to this remarkable senior citizen who added to the rich and colorful history of this state and created a legacy for the labor movement nationwide; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature hereby requests the Division of Highways name the bridge located on the West Virginia Turnpike at milepost 83.43, spanning Cabin Creek and Kanawha County Route 79/3, as the "Mother Jones Labor Heritage Bridge" ; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Division of Highways provide and erect signs at either end of the bridge displaying the name "Mother Jones Labor Heritage Bridge" ; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Secretary of the Department of Transportation.