We were on Day One of our Alaska Trip. Our previous stop was Kapuskasing Internment Cemetery, and we were still shocked at the treatment of people who just wanted to live their lives. Our next stop would be Reesor Siding Memorial.
When I plan a trip, I look for places to stop. It would be a monument, a rest area of some note, or something, so we can rest and stretch our legs. Reesor Siding Memorial was at a spot where we would need a break.
This site is a little off the main road and accessible by car. Crossing a railroad track, we would look at the monument. Our first concern was the sound we were hearing in the distance. Charlene was watching a video on YouTube about the sounds that bobcats make. We heard a very similar sound out in the distance. Our goal on this trip was to see as many different kinds of animals as we could. We would not see the bobcat, but we did hear one.
We proceeded to the monument erected as a memorial to a violent clash that killed three and injured eight others. What would be later known as the Reesor Siding Incident has become a major moment in defining Canadian labour conflicts. What sparked this strike was a freeze in wages and the demand of a company that the men were to work seven days a week until the quota was met. Understandably, the workers did not like this idea of working non-stop for what could be an uncertain amount of time. I could sympathize; I threatened to quit if I worked another Saturday at my previous job.
As with all conflicts, there are two sides, each side antagonizing the other, and neither side was willing to budge on this night. Today stands this monument in honour of those that died in what appears to have been a deliberate ambush.
I wish there were more information at this monument, and some context to help understand what had gone on and the consequences after that.
- To find this and all the other locations we have visited, check out Featured Map for directions on how to get here.
- To see the original map of our Alaska trip, click here. Some of the places we could not go to (for various reasons), and some areas we added which are not included in this map. To see those, click on the Featured Map.
- The original itinerary for this trip can be seen here.
- Reesor Siding strike of 1963. (2022, December 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reesor_Siding_strike_of_1963
- It is a free-access site and can be seen from the road with a small parking lot on the other side of the railroad tracks.
