Thompson-Hickman Library and Museum

Historical marker location:

220 Wallace Street, Virginia City, Montana

( Marker is on Wallace Street (State Highway 287) west of Hamilton Street, on the left when traveling west.)

In the early 20th century, Montana was a center of activity for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a radical labor organization that advocated for the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of a worker-controlled society. The state was the site of several major strikes and labor conflicts during this time, including the Anaconda Road Massacre of 1920, in which striking miners were killed by National Guard troops.