43. Death in the Rockies: Irish Silver Miners in Leadville, Colorado

Today a little over 2,500 people live in Leadville, Colorado. But in the late 19th century tens of thousands of people flocked here, trying to eke out a living during the great silver mining boom. A huge number of those people were Irish. Nicknamed "Cloud City" because of its incredible altitude--over 10,000 feet up in the Rockies--there were few more difficult places to live. The harsh climate, shanty accommodation and terrible working conditions sent many to an early grave, with the least fortunate consigned to an unmarked pauper's burial ground. In this episode, Fin and Damian are joined by Professor Jim Walsh of the University of Colorado, Denver, who has worked tirelessly to recover these pauper's names --and their lives.

Jim describes for us what life was like for Irish men and women in Leadville during the 1880s and 1890s, sharing their stories and outlining their shocking life expectancies. He also traces the links that tie Leadville to Irish mining communities from Waterford, Tipperary and Allihies in West Cork, and Irish American ones in Pennsylvania's anthracite coal region and Butte, Montana. We also discuss the ongoing work of identifying the names of those interred in the pauper's cemetery, an effort that has led to the creation of the deeply moving Leadville Irish Miners' Memorial.

Professor Jim Walsh University of Denver, Colorado

Leadville Irish Miners' Memorial

The Lost Irish Miners of Leadville: PBS Documentary

Biographies of Leadville People

Molly Brown House Museum, Denver

Transatlantic Episode 14. The Irish in Pennsylvania Coal Country

Irish Stew Podcast Season 3 Episode 3: Unearthing Diaspora History

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