The Battle for the Black Diamond Saloon
Mine workers and company interests clash over a controversial saloon license located near the cemetery.
Tensions in Black Diamond have peaked as the county commissioners investigate a liquor license dispute. Saloonkeeper Anton Green claims his arrest for selling liquor without a license was an attempt by the Black Diamond Coal Company to 'freeze out' competition to their own interests. The county auditor denies these allegations, citing a petition from 137 residents who oppose Green's business, claiming he intended to operate a 'dance house' that would be ruinous to young miners. The saloon in question is located uncomfortably close to the local cemetery and picnic grounds, prompting moral outcry from the community.
“It will ruin hundreds of the boys and young men who work in the mines if such a place as Green has can be run openly in Black Diamond.”
This struggle captures the intersection of labor control and moral policing. The company's attempt to regulate the leisure activities of its workforce—often framed as 'protecting the boys'—is a classic case of corporate paternalism that still resonates in company towns today.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.