In 1921, West Virginia coal miners rose up against the coal companies and fought to unionize, battling big coal's paramilitaries in the largest armed uprising since the American Civil War. 90 years later, the Battle of Blair Mountain rages on as hundreds of miners, activists and environmentalists march 50 miles to stop the mountaintop removal that they say threatens the water, health and history of Appalachia. But the miners here say coal is everything and that they're also fighting--to survive.

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Blair Mountain is under threat of Mountaintop Removal mining. The focal point of the 1921 mine wars, this historic center of labor rights has not gotten the protection it deserves. Take Action at www.sierraclub.org/blairmountain

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This is a rough draft version of a longer documentary on Blair Mountain. For more info on the Battle of Blair Mountain, visit our website www.friendsofblairmountain.org, or pick up a copy of the new edition of When Miners March, the most authoritative book on the miner's rebellion, by William C. Blizzard.

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produces by the Alliance for Appalachia and iLoveMountains.org. Music by Elaine Purkey, "One Day More"

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A few days ago someone blocked the public access road to the Blair Mountain Battle Field with boulders that were clearly brought from a mine site. This would prevent the march from using this state road turnout off the highway as a pick up and drop off spot for Marchers who intended to walk up the Public Road to the historic site. A small group of marchers took the initiative to move those boulders with their bare hands. They opened up the road while jeering miners, private security and state police looked on. The action had been cleared by the Dept of Transportation because this turnout was an important safety feature on this windy steep mountain road that is frequently traveled by fast moving over loaded coal trucks.

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The West Virginia cultural museum hosted a panel on the importance of Blair Mountain to Union and Coal aficionados yesterday. During the "official" panel there was hardly a mention of the current efforts of out of state coal mining companies to destroy this piece of history and the psychological & economic impact it could have as a tourist attraction. Best quote of the afternoon: In the school system West Virginia history is Morgan Morgan lived in a tree and fought Indians, the civil war and that's the end of it... never a mention of the largest insurrection our country has seen. They don't want to teach kids the power of organizing. Blair Mountain use to be on the national registry of historic places and therefore protected from strip mining. Legally, locals may object to the historic designation if they choose. The effort to rustle up objectors netted 2 zombies who now live peacefully in the heart of a millionaire coal exec somewhere. Mo'Fo' www.friendsofblairmountain.org

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Marchers tell personal accounts of the impact o their lives from Mountain Top Removal and the battle to save their own personal histories and the sustainability of the land. Spirits are high as the march passes through Madison WV. marchonblairmountain.org

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From June 5th to June 11th, 2011 an important march and rally took place deep in the mountains of West Virginia. The March on Blair Mountain was a five-day journey retracing the steps of over 10000 miners who fought for safe working conditions and the right to unionize in 1921. Due to violent efforts by the coal companies to prevent the coal miners from organizing, it became the largest armed insurrection since the American Civil War. Ninety years ago, the Battle of Blair Mountain ended only after almost one million rounds were fired and the United States Army intervened by presidential order in 1921. More than 100 people died on the wooded hillsides of Blair Mountain during the battle. The 2011 march was held to support the history of the union movement in America and to bring attention to the demolition of the Appalachian mountains. Blair Mountain, the storied battlefield and the hallowed ground upon which the miners fought and died is threatened with destruction by a mountain top removal coal mine. In 2011, thousands joined the march in solidarity to save it. The second battle of Blair Mountain is just starting. Together we can save it. Join us!

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On June 6, 2011, hundreds of people began a weeklong, 50-mile trek on West Virginia backroads to protest mountaintop removal mining and defend labor rights. Here is a Charleston Gazette video on the first day of the march. See Paul Nyden's related story here (from which the information below comes): wvgazette.com Nearly 250 marchers and supporters of the Appalachia Rising March on Blair Mountain gathered at the Marmet Baseball Field for a rally. An hour later, they headed toward Blair, a town near the Boone-Logan county border, where their march will end on Friday. The marchers plan to walk the same route more than 10000 coal miners took between Aug. 24 and Sept. 4, 1921, marching to Logan County to organize non-union miners. The 1921 March on Blair Mountain was the biggest armed conflict in American labor history. After several days of battles, federal troops arrived and ended the conflict. "We need to preserve Blair Mountain. It represents the movement that laid the foundation for our middle class, said Joe Stanley, a retired miner from Matewan in Mingo County. "We are marching in memory of those miners."

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DemocracyNow.og - In a Democracy Now! special interview, legendary independent filmmaker John Sayles discusses his film "Matewan," which chronicles an efforts of Appalachia coal miners to organize a union. He talks about the Battle of Blair Mountain, which more than 10000 coal miners confronted an army of police and strikebreakers, backed by the coal companies, who were attempting to disrupt efforts to unionize the West Virginia coal fields. Sayles also talked about the "second battle for Blair Mountain," which is the effort to stop mountaintop-removal coal mining from destroying the mountain range. Sayles also talks about the ongoing efforts by the Republicans to dismantle unions across the United States. This is an excerpt of an 45-minute interview with John Sayles. To watch the uninterrupted interview,download the podcast, read the transcript, and for more information about Democracy Now!, visit www.democracynow.org FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE: Facebook: www.facebook.com Twitter: @democracynow Daily Email News Digest: www.democracynow.org Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today, visit www.democracynow.org

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Appalachia Watch reports from Madison, West Virginia, where marchers proceed on their 50 mile route to Blair Mountain.

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Protestors kicked off their five-day, 50-mile march to Blair Mountain in Logan County with a short rally at a baseball field in Marmet, WV. The marchers are recreating an August 1921 march by union coal miners, which ended with a bloody clash with state police, volunteer militiamen and coal company employees. These modern marchers are calling for the preservation of Blair Mountain, which is now owned by two coal companies and could be strip-mined. They are also advocating an end to all mountaintop removal.

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produced by the Alliance for Appalachia and iLoveMountains.org. Music by Doc and Merle Watson, and Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore

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Larry Gibson of the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation makes a call for everyone to join him for the March on Blair Mountain in West Virginia. Help Save Blair Mountain!

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Don't De-list the road! In 1921, 10000 coalminers engaged in the largest labor insurrection in US history. Their struggle culminated on the ridges of Blair Mountain, where they fought for five days against an army backed by coal operators. Currently, this major labor heritage site is threatened by mountaintop removal coal extraction. A group of concerned citizens, labor groups, and archaeologists are working to preserve the battlefield from obliteration. In 2009, the Blair Mountain battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A few months later, it was de-listed due to a majority of landowners objecting to the listing. During the nomination process, a main argument against the listing was that the site had been disturbed and nothing substantial could be found. But local residents teamed up with archaeologists to disprove this claim. Now, the state is considering abandoning a road that runs directly through the site, and turning it over to out of state land corporations. This would cut off any public access to the battlefield. If the coal operators control the road, they will be able to clear cut the forest and blast the mountain. Once an archaeological site is destroyed or disturbed, all information or significance will be gone forever. To keep the state road in public hands, please write by June 17th: Paul A. Mattox, Jr., PE Phone (304) 558-0444 E-mail dot.secretary@wv.gov For more information about Blair Mountain: www.friendsofblairmountain.org <b>...</b>

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Some highlights from the days Matthew King spent following the March on Blair Mountain. This footage is the property of Hillside Films. If you would like to use the footage send an message or leave a comment an I will get back to you. There is no fee to use my footage, but please ask me so we can do it the right way!

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More March on Blair coverage at mountainmarch.wordpress.com | Video montage of the March on Blair Mountain press conference which took place Monday morning, June 6, 2011 in Marmet, West Virginia. After the 9 am press conference, marchers began their five day, 50 mile journey to Blair Mountain in Logan County, West Virginia.

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produced by the Alliance for Appalachia and iLoveMountains.org. Music by Doc and Merle Watson, and Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore

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Bill Doody, 82 year old miner, speaking about his beliefs in unionism and against mountaintop removal. He was speaking to Joe Stanley, UMWA Local 93.

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Some highlights from the days Matthew King spent following the March on Blair Mountain. This footage is the property of Hillside Films. If you would like to use the footage send an message or leave a comment an I will get back to you. There is no fee to use my footage, but please ask me so we can do it the right way!

march activism blair mountain west virginia coal friends of appalachia rising wv That Brittany

Some more footage from the March on Blair Mountain 2011, mostly from the rally held on Saturday June 11. This footage is property of Hillside Films. If you would like to use the footage send an message or leave a comment an I will get back to you. There is no fee to use my footage, but please ask me so we can do it the right way!

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produced by the Alliance for Appalachia and iLoveMountains.org. Music by Doc and Merle Watson, and Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore

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Great American Taxi - "Blair Mountain" - Harvest Festival 2011 - Mulberry Mountain, AR

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marchonblairmountain.org/​ Hundreds march from Marmet to Blair WV to preserve Blair Mountain, abolish mountaintop removal, strengthen labor rights, and an investment in sustainable job creation for all Appalachian communities. The March on Blair Mountain is a peaceful, unifying rally involving environmental justice organizations, workers, scholars, artists, and other citizens and groups. The march commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921, when 10000 coal miners rose against the rule of the coal operators and fought for the basic right to live and work in decent conditions. Currently, Blair Mountain is threatened with obliteration by mountaintop removal (MTR) mining, and it is here that a new generation of Appalachians takes a stand. Please share and spread the word

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produced by the Alliance for Appalachia and iLoveMountains.org. Music by Doc and Merle Watson, and Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore

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The March on Blair Mountain has lunch at an camp spot of the original 1921 march and enters Logan County.

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produces by the Alliance for Appalachia and iLoveMountains.org. Music by Doc and Merle Watson, and Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore

west virginia umwa union united mine workers of america environment appalachia appalachian march clean energy deep mining Love Mountains Org

produced by the Alliance for Appalachia and iLoveMountains.org. Music by Doc and Merle Watson, and Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore

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A group of environmental activists, labor supporters and other kicked off a commemorative march to Logan County and Blair Mountain this week. Clark Davis tells us that hundreds began their trek Monday to re-call a historic event from 90 years while showing displeasure at the idea of mountain top mining on the site. 209

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At Blair Mountain, West Virginia in 1921, 10000 coal miners rose up against the coal companies to demand basic rights of fair pay and safer working conditions. It was one of the largest civilian uprisings in history. Today this nationally historic battlefield is under threat from mining companies who want to blow it up to remove the coal that lies just below the surface. This last weekend over a thousand people from West Virginia and across the country gathered at Blair Mountain to protest against the coal mining companies that have a long history in this region of breaking the law, denying citizens and workers their rights, making the area dangerous for the people that live there, and corrupting the local and federal government. The rally also called for stronger labor rights, sustainable jobs in Appalachia, and an end to the devastating mining practice of Mountaintop Removal (MTR) coal mining. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave two great speeches that weekend, one at the rally and one at a Charleston screening of Bill Haney's new film The Last Mountain, that focused on the recent Citizens United Supreme Court decision that says corporations can spend unlimited funds in elections. This video is a brief collection of some highlights from RFK Jr.' s speeches and some footage from the march. Please spread this and go see The Last Mountain!

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Myself,Megan,and all the other people who came to support the march on Blair Mountain to end mountain top removal! Pt2

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June 2011 300 people marched on Blair Mountain. This is their story in pictures. - created at animoto.com

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