It's a derelict and seemingly forgotten spot, site of the 1916 (IWW) Everett Massacre

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/snohomishcountynews/2003773074_hewitt04n1.html

Old rail overpass tugs at city's heart

By Diane Brooks

Times Snohomish County Bureau

It's a derelict and seemingly forgotten spot.

Rusting iron exposed by peeling silver paint, waist-high grasses, dandelions poking up along a swath of red bricks, dingy black moss spread across a concrete traffic divider.

Even the city land-use sign that threatens the ultimate insult — demolition and burial beneath 12 feet of soil — is weather-beaten and unkempt.

But through the eyes of some beholders, the site of a 97-year-old railroad bridge at the western foot of Hewitt Avenue is a treasure, worthy of a public park.

Photo one of six at link.

ERIKA SCHULTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES

The old railroad bridge at the west end of Hewitt Avenue overlooks the site of the 1916 Everett Massacre.

In his mind's eye, Ed Morrow can see Everett's forefathers arriving, by rail or water, and walking up Hewitt beneath that trestle. "Just imagine, walking up these bricks," said Morrow, a former city councilman and port commissioner. "The city really started here, in terms of the people."

To historian David Dilgard, the bridge is especially precious because so few traces remain of the city's formative years, which were directly linked with the Great Northern Railway.

FULL story and photos at link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everett_Massacre

Unfortunate circumstances
On the day of the massacre, about 300 members of the IWW boarded the steamers Verona and Calista from Seattle and headed north to Everett to attend a rally. The violence which erupted once the ships arrived in Everett was a result of a misunderstanding between the local citizens and the demonstrators. A day before the union members were to arrive, police in Everett had been informed incorrectly that a large group of armed anarchists were making their way to the city.


Shootout
Over 200 citizen deputies, under the authority of Snohomish County Sheriff Donald McRae, met in order to repel the "anarchists". As the IWW union boats made ready to dock, the sheriff informed them that they would not be allowed to land. In the resulting tension, a single shot was fired, followed by several minutes of chaotic shooting on both sides. Whether the first shot came from boat or dock was never determined. Passengers aboard the Verona rushed to the opposite side of the ship, nearly capsizing the vessel. Bullets pierced the pilot house, and the Verona's captain struggled to back it out of port. The Calista returned to Seattle, without trying to land.


Death Toll
At the end of the mayhem, 2 citizen deputies lay dead with 20 others wounded including the sheriff. The IWW officially listed 5 dead with 27 wounded, although it is speculated that as many as 12 IWW members may have been killed. As a result of the shootings, a company of naval militia were sent to Everett and Seattle to help maintain order.

By:
Julie Christensen

The single bloodiest day in the Pacific Northwest's labor history occurred at 12:00 noon on Sunday,November 5, 1916 (Bloody Sunday, 2000). On this day, a battle ensued in Everett, Washington between Everett town officials and members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). The incident took place on the Everett docks when a ferry named "Verona" steamed into Everett carrying approximately 250 IWW union members. About 200 Everett citizen deputies,under the authority of Sheriff Donald McRae, awaited the Verona's arrival and were determined to prevent the IWW members from unloading their boat. This battle was sparked by the free speech movement and served as the climax to numerous free speech fights that took place during this decade. The Everett Massacre lasted only one day but the lives of seven men were taken and approximately 50 were wounded (Bloody Sunday, 2000).

There were many events that led to Everett's Bloody Sunday and the high level of animosity between the town of Everett and the IWW union. First of all, the IWW attempted to persuade the shingle worker's union to unite with their union on numerous occasions (Bloody Sunday, 2000). On May 1, 1916, the shingle weavers went on strike to protest their employer's failure to increase wages that were stated in an agreement made the previous year (Filippelli, 1990). Everett mill owners promised a wage increase when prices rose again after their spring recession but the employer's failed to follow through with it. The strike was free of violence until August 19, 1916 when strikebreakers,hired by one of the mill owners, Neil Jamison, attacked the picketers by beating them with clubs. The scabs that were leaving the mill afterwork were also attacked (Bloody Sunday, 2000). The IWW union soon became involved in the violence.

When the IWW opened a hall in Everett, police officials strongly opposed (Filippelli, 1990). On August 22, 1916, Sheriff McRae ordered the IWW to abandon their office and return to Seattle but in protest, the IWW members traveled to Hewitt Avenue, a street located in Everett, to voice their opinion (Bloody Sunday,2000). When an IWW member stepped up to speak on the wooden soapbox,they were immediately hauled down and arrested regardless of what their speech entailed. Between August 29 and October 30, Everett policearrested and beat numerous IWW members (Bloody Sunday, 2000). Everett officials made it very obvious that the IWW union was not welcome in Everett.

On the night of October30, 1916, forty-one IWW members voluntarily traveled from their Seattle headquarters to speak to the crowds in Everett (Filippelli, 1990). Sheriff McRae along with his deputies gathered at the docks and argued with the IWW members, also known as the "Wobblies." The Wobblies demanded their right to speak freely at the intersection of Hewlett andWetmore Street, which was Everett's main speaking area. Everett officials disagreed with their desire and restricted them to speaking at Hewitt and Grand where only a small amount of spectators could gather to hear them. The Wobblies proceeded to argue with officials so Everett deputies transported them to Beverly Park. At the park, the Wobblies were beaten and forced to "run the gauntlet (Bloody Sunday, 2000)." The gauntlet is defined in Webster's Dictionary as "a former military punishment in which the offender had to run between two rows of men who struck them with clubs, etc. as he passed (Webster's New World College Dictionary 1996)." The Wobblies experienced this type of punishment when hundreds of Everett deputies formedrows on of each side of them and continued to whip, trip, and spike themas they "ran the gauntlet." A shockingly large trail of dried blood was left the next morning after this event
(Bloody Sunday, 2000).
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http://www.stfrancis.edu/ba/ghkickul/stuwebs/btopics/works/Everett.htm

pnorman

A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_People's_History_of_the_United_States

A People's History of the United States is a nonfiction book by American historian and political scientist Howard Zinn, in which he seeks to present American history through the eyes of groups he says are rarely heard in mainstream histories. A People's History, though originally a dissident work, has become a major success and was a runner-up in 1980 for the National Book Award. It has been adopted for reading in some high schools and colleges across the United States and has been frequently revised, with the most recent edition covering events through 2003. In 2003, Zinn was awarded the Prix des Amis du Monde Diplomatique for the French version of this book, Une histoire populaire des Etats-Unis.<1> Over one million copies have been sold.

A reviewer for the The New York Times suggested the book should be "required reading" for students.<2> In a 1998 interview prior to a speaking engagement at the University of Georgia, Zinn told Catherine Parayre he had set "quiet revolution" as his goal for writing A People's History. "Not a revolution in the classical sense of a seizure of power, but rather from people beginning to take power from within the institutions. In the workplace, the workers would take power to control the conditions of their lives."<3> In 2004, Zinn published a companion volume with Anthony Arnove, titled Voices of a People's History of the United States. The book parallels A People's History in structure, supplementing it with material from frequently overlooked primary sources.


And this one too.

http://howardzinn.org/default/

New Howard Zinn book and CD from Seven Stories Press!
Written by Administrator
Wednesday, 27 June 2007

_________________________________________
A Young People's History of the United States
Volume I: Columbus to the Spanish-American War
Volume II: Class Struggle to the War on Terror
Howard Zinn
with Rebecca Stefoff

One of the most important books I have ever read in a long life of reading ... a book that should be read by every American, student or otherwise, who wants ... more.
-Howard Fast

A brilliant and moving history of the American people.
-Library Journal