On November 13, 1909, at the St. Paul Coal Company mine in Cherry, Illinois, a devastating fire trapped 300 miners, of which 259 workers, including U.S. citizens, immigrants, and children would perish. Meanwhile on campus, Illinois staff would respond to the disaster while international students raised money to help support the families of miners lost in the catastrophe.
Read on to learn more about Illinois rescue and relief fund work responses to the Cherry Mine Disaster.
Continue reading “The 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster and Illinois Rescue and Relief Fund Work”