126th Anniversary Bay View Tragedy

From the inbox:

Brothers and Sisters,

Join us to honor the deaths of 8-hour day marchers at the Bay View Tragedy Reenactment. This tragedy marks Wisconsin’s most historic labor incident.

When: 3:00 p.m., Sunday, May 6

Where: Bay View Rolling Mills State Historical marker site at S. Superior St. and E. Russell Ave

The annual event commemorates the tragedy of May 5, 1886 when the State Militia shot into some 1,500 workers marching in an 8-hour-day rally and killed seven in front of the old Bay View Rolling Mills, then Milwaukee’s largest manufacturing plant.

A free shuttle bus to the event will be available from 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm at the Holt Avenue Park & Ride - exit 314A – just north of the airport.

This year’s free outdoor ceremony will be followed up with a discussion forum beginning at about 4 p.m. led by Milwaukee Historian John Gurda, who will open the session with remarks and then look for comments from a panel of historians and worker activists, as well as the audience. The forum will be held at the Club Garibaldi, 2501 S. Superior St.

The program will also include a reenactment of the May 5, 1886 event, featuring actors reading from speeches of the period, accompanied by players of the Milwaukee Public Theatre dressed in period costumes, supported by larger-than-life-sized puppets.

Larry Penn, folksinger and retired Teamster, will perform several songs, including his own, “Ghosts of Bay View,” and “Solidarity Forever.”

Since 1986, members of the Wisconsin Labor History Society, the Bay View Historical Society and others have been holding this celebration to memorialize the tragedy, which was Wisconsin’s most dramatic labor event, and was important in the struggle of workers and their unions to gain decent wages, hours and conditions. We hope to see you there!


In Solidarity,

Phil Neuenfeldt, President