Ludlow is a ghost town established in the 1880s as a mining camp. Located in Las Animas county of Colorado, the small town did well as a mining town until 1914 when a coalfield war ensued taking it to the ground.

The story of Ludlow town

Ludlow town was established in 1970 after the discovery of coal. In 1888, the railway reached the region of Ludlow connecting the town to big cities like Denver, Texas, and Fort Worth. With the introduction of the railroad, the small community grew so fast and by 1900, it had a population of more than 1100 people.Over the years the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company which had most of the mines in the area began facing financial problems. The working conditions were pathetic and due to this, their miners went on strike for improvement of the conditions. Instead of fixing the problem, the company fired all of their workers. The miners after being sent out of the town established a small community outside the town. This brought about conflict and minor attacks between the miners and militia together with national guardsmen under the payroll of the mining company. The deadliest attack came in 1914 when National guards’ men and hired militia attacked the miners which led to a 1-day battle. Twenty-five people including children were killed in the battle. The camp was set on fire by the national guards sending the surviving mines out of the town. Although several attacks occurred as retaliation by the miners over the coming years, the battle was finally stopped by the military police but the town was never reoccupied by its residents.

What’s the state of Ludlow town today?

After the event of 1914, the town was left deserted by most of its residents. It was listed on the national register of historical places. Ludlow monument which was erected by the miners after the war was repaired in 2005 and is currently under the management of Ludlow Centennial Commemoration Commission. Most of the Ludlow massacre site and town are still intact. Ludlow massacre site is the best-preserved historical site in the whole state of Colorado.

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