No violence had broken out in the area but mine owners recognized the lack of local militia in the event of a labor uprising. The arrests of Haywood and Moyer had associated the IWW with violence and federal troops maintained a presence in Goldfield.

What did the Wobblies do?

In 1905, a new radical union, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), began to organize workers excluded from the AFL. Known as the "Wobblies," these unionists wanted to form "One Big Union." Their ultimate goal was to call "One Big Strike," which would overthrow the capitalist system.

Who were the Wobblies and what did they believe?

Believing that the nation's most exploited and poorest workers deserved a voice, the Wobblies called for "One Big Union" that would challenge the capitalist system first in the United States and later worldwide. In 1905 a group of two hundred radical labor activists met in Chicago and formed the IWW.