Mining Irish-American Lives: Western Communities from 1849 to 1920

Alan J. M. Noonan recounts the trials and tribulations experienced by the Irish and their descendants in the American West during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Irish, like other ethnic groups, initially saw the West as a land that brimmed with opportunity. After arrival, however, the realities of the West very often served to remind the Irish and others that preconceived ideas could be wrong. Noonan rightly claims that the mining industry and its ancillary occupations helped to develop the ethos of the Irish American identity and that the “micro-frontiers of opportunity” (p. 9) in the West transformed the futures, both good and ill, of its inhabitants. By arguing that “the Irish cannot be divorced from any part of the American West,” (p. 13) Noonan firmly places them at important intersections of class, labor, and identity. The book is organized using a case-study approach that focuses on various western settlements.The first chapter incorporates statistical information, primarily through US Census records, and cultural artefacts such as churches, schools, and graveyards left behind by various Irish communities that assist in identifying the traces of the Irish and their progeny in the West. Noonan situates readers with figures linked to the number of Irish-born residents in western states/territories, the number of Irish involved in mining and adjacent occupations, and the size of the Irish community (both Irish-born and of Irish parentage) to “contextualize the influence and interaction of the Irish with people of other ethnicities” (p. 22) in the West. Noonan finds that Virginia City, Nevada, Leadville, Colorado, and Butte, Montana “represented a major portion of the total population in mining towns in the American West” (p. 22).Chapter 2 explores California towns, such as Randsburg and Smartsville, and how Gold Rush moments inspired thousands of Irish to journey to this western destination. By mining letters and songs, Noonan convincingly demonstrates the contested nature and evolution of how the Irish intermingled with myriad groups, including those focused on nativistic activities and the underhanded techniques used by mine owners to thwart the development and growth of labor unions. The third chapter examines the strength of the Irish in Virginia City, Nevada, its connections to the Comstock Lode, and the influence of Irish mine owners. Unlike most western towns, Virginia City emerged as a unique place because the Irish wielded substantial commercial and cultural power as demonstrated through various fraternal organizations, charities, hospitals, schools, cemeteries, and orphanages associated with Catholicism.Chapter 4 emphasizes the presence of the Irish in Colorado, particularly Leadville. Tensions abounded between labor and capital in this region, with mine owners squarely placing the blame for labor unrest on secret fraternal organizations, like the Molly Maguires, or the Catholic Church. Ultimately, the anti-union Committee of Safety in Leadville and the use of spy agencies to infiltrate unions led to the disintegration of the Irish community. The fifth chapter shows the strained interactions between Irish miners and mine owners that persisted in Idaho, including Coeur d'Alene. Part of this tension resulted when Irish and Italian miners championed a general wage for all miners and mine owners, aligning their interests with the nativist American Protective Association to create an allegedly respectable workforce.The final chapter explores “the largest and longest surviving Irish mining community in the United States” (p. 195): Butte, Montana. This city emerged as a haven for the Irish in the West and became a stepping stone for many Irish to move beyond mining as a means of survival and prosperity. Noonan asserts that one of the reasons that Butte maintained a vaunted status when compared to other western mining towns was that the Butte Miners’ Union “was one of the most peaceable unions in America, with a membership as high as 6,000. Butte miners and their income provided vital financial support for other unions across the American West” (p. 212). Butte miners and their families, however, could not escape the persistently dangerous working conditions and sustained health problems that remained rampant in mining communities for generations.The primary strength of this book rests with the resources consulted, especially primary sources. Noonan demonstrates an adept ability to consistently incorporate both qualitative and quantitative analysis of his source base throughout this work. The use of census records, newspapers, emigrant letters, poems and songs in English and Irish, fraternal and religious organizational materials, and private detective reports showcase how the Irish contributed to and experienced the tumultuous nature of the western landscape of the United States.Mining Irish-American Lives will be valuable to scholars and others who study western labor history and the influence of ethnicity/identity within this region. Although the text contains several important and useful figures and tables, the inclusion of a few maps to geographically orient readers would be appropriate. Those interested in Irish poems and songs will appreciate the first appendix.