I have a distant cousin that was featured and given credit as appearing in the film. I saw the film before I found out he was in it and I was floored when I saw him. He was even mentioned by name by one of the other ladies in the scene. He was pro union. This was about 30 years after it was released. At the next family reunion I asked him about it. He told me some behind the scene stories but the one that stood out to me was about the foreman, Basil Collins. He told me that the film portrayed Collins much meaner than he actually was. He was against the miners in their protests, but he actually kept the peace more than not. Collins was a Free Mason and he took the oath of not harming another Mason very seriously. Many of the miners were Masons as well, so he didn't show any violence other than what you saw in the film. And of course the film's directors encouraged (off camera) the people to get violent. My cousin also mentioned that Collins had survived the death march and my cousin, being a WWII vet as well, had great respect for him.
My family was there during that strike, My uncle David was in a couple scenes on the picket line. He talked about Basil Collins being a fair man with a job to do.
Movie Trivia: Phyllis Boyens appeared in Harlan County , USA , singing" Oh, Death" with her father Nimrod Workman. She would later star as Clara Webb , Loretta Lynn's mother, in Coal Miner's Daughter.
I remember doing my pickups and deliveries there many times in the 80s. The documentary was great. We lived in Arizona when we saw it and our friends thought it was awesome that we once lived so close to a place like that.
Harlan County USA captured perfectly, what life was like for coal miners who just trying to provide for their families was like in Eastern KY at the time!!
Great documentary. My grandfather worked in the mines at Crummies Creek, Kettle Island and a few others. He wanted no part of his sons living that life so my dad left for the service and eventually Michigan (where he became a teacher). Beautiful area and i still visit yearly to pay homage to all the kinfolk buried in Knox, Laurel and Bell counties.
Thank you so much for this video!! I personally think Harlan County USA is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. I've always hoped you would do a video on the locations in the movie. To me a coal miner was one of the hardest working people you would ever find!
Thanks for the personal insight, especially for those of us who live far away. Just because I live in Vermont, doesn't mean I shouldn't be aware of all that happened.
We were there about a week ago and you are right about not seeing the buildings when it 's all grown over. I wasn't real sure we had the right place until your video. ( we didn't walk around though, too hot and snaky) I saw the movie years ago and have wanted to go there since. Soo much history in that area and the scenery is awesome!
I worked at Eastover about 2 years , and I also worked with many of the men that you showed in the picture . A great many of them have since passed on . They were great guys , and most of them a pleasure to work with . I can remember the strike like it happened last week , and in my opinion Eastover could have ended the strike a lot sooner , and for sure previted the death of a well liked young man . Matter of fact , if Eastover had listened to miners there never would have been a strike to begin with . All the miners ever wanted were decent working conditions , and not to be treated like animals . Although I was always on the side of the miners , I did know Basil fairly well , and in my opinion he wasn't the mean nasty bloodthirsty man they made him out to be in the documentary . Basil didn't believe in unions , he thought unions were controlled by Communists . I also knew Billy G , and I can remember very well when he was elected to the office of Sheriff . Great video , brings back a lot of memories .
I'd say about nearly everyone in the film are long dead by now. Even if you were 40 in the film you would be over 90 years old now.... Not too many people reach that age.
My Grandfather worked in the mines in Harlan for 30 years. He rode in the back of a pickup truck from brownies Creek to Harlan no matter the weather for 30 years. My Grandmother said the man that gave him and other miners a ride came to the house without my grandfather and gave her a crushed busted helmet. He was never able to work again and spent the rest of his life in his home.
Thank you for reminding all of us. What miner's and their families have done for this fine country. A great reminder what American all about. Thank you.
The rundown coal camp houses that you see at the beginning of the documentary and a few other times throughout it were sitting right where the baseball field is now, right across the river from the mine entrance.
Awesome video Coyote's! Great history on Harlan! I remember when that was happening, amazing how long ago it's done been, don't seem like no time to me! Thanks for remembering it in video!👍
Daddy was chief deputy in Knox Co and knew both the sheriff of Harlan and he knew one of the state troopers that was filmed in the documentary. They were trying to keep the roads open. I’ve watched that documentary many times. Always found it so interesting.
Hi Mr and Mrs Ignited. The movie was on one of the movie channels not very long ago I didn’t know Basil Collins was a survivor of the Bataan Death March. The Brookside Strike was an important moment of the Kentucky Coal wars. Great video! Thank you for sharing this with us! By the way - seeing all that vandalism and wanton destruction of private property is disgraceful
Love the picture of sheriff Billy G Williams at the end of the video if I'm not mistaken they actually thought about making a movie about him at one point in time
I wonder what ever became of Sheriff Williams? I couldn't hardly find anything online about him but if I remember right he only served a single term as the sheriff.
Appreciate, interesting to see, brought back some memories of other kinda similar places but a few thousand miles away. I remember that Harlan County USA film, and the movie Matewan as well as The Battle of Blair Mountain, it still makes my blood boil thinking about it. My dad was a union steward when I was young, not there, but I recall him coming home and telling my mom about all that what went on, while us kids were in bed, but I listened , and it molded me into to who and what I am. & influenced our kids and nieces and nephews. Anyway, thanx to both of you for this
in 1973, you wouldn't have been walking around there at all. It was all company property, & they'd have had you arrested for trespassing. In the earlier 2000s, that coal tipple at Brookside was used to load coal from other mines. I saw it still operating, & there were guards around it. The office building & store was also closed up & intact. The Post Office was still open (it was for Ages as well). That was 2006. I went all over Harlan County from 2001-2006 seeing the coal stuff. I met Lawrence Jones' family. His mother was still alive. I saw where he was shot. The Highsplint mines had a museum there (they still might) that had stuff from the strike era, like Basil Collins' foreman certificates. I talked to a lot of people involved in the strike. Junior Deaton was a great source of info before he passed. I met Lois Scott too.
These buildings that are abanded makes me sad! So many people once lived and worked around there😢 We had moved when the film was made. But i have seen it many times!My family worked at several of those coal mines. I wonder if the company store in Louellen is still sitting! My Mom and Dad when to reunions there for years❤ People were close to each other. Miss those days❤
When I first started working in the coal mines I was signed up in the green building there at manalapan . It was a fully functioning office I started at Manalapan in 2004 working for Dewayne Bennett at R&B mining in pathfork but filled out all my paperwork there at Ages!!
I think it is interesting that there is not a copy of this Academy Award winning documentary at the Harlan library. "Harlan County USA" is on several top ten lists of the greatest documentary films of all time. Do you happen to know where Lawrence Jones is burie ind? Edit: you said it's in your other film
On the last day of the company I worked for them it gone now I hauled coal at pathfork ky and worked in the mines in Smith ky never worked in the mines again coal has got so bad
Basil Collins was mine foreman at the Highsplint Mines, the other mine that went on strike. Both mines were owned by Eastover. Brookside got their union contract, Highsplint did not. The miners from Highsplint who went on strike were all fired when the strikes ended. Basil was hated by the striking miners because he was very anti-union, & he led the scab workers into the Highsplint mines. To friends & family he was very liked & loved, & considered a very loyal friend.
My guess is that the railroad that operated through there would have been the Louisville & Nashvillve before the CSX merger in 1980. They probably used sets of 3000hp six axle Alco Century 630s that Louisville & Nashville had at that time for the heavy coal trains.
Wonder if there are any kin of the people that were in Harlan County USA still living around there. Would be interesting to hear their stories of what happend back then.
I knew Nimrod workman in mascot Tennessee, first union president, Florence Reece my boys great great grandmaw wrote " which side are you on " that was the name of the movie " I saw the movie, Nimrod wrote a buch of the coal mining songs, he went and sang for the queen of England, he was 84 ,lived in mascot Tennessee, went ginseng digging with him,I knew his daughter, she lived close by, she had her own band,very fond memories
I’ve watched that documentary 100 times great film love the way it starts you should send me a piece of coal from there would be great 👍 but awesome video yall thanks
The coal mines fed many people, and also killed many thru "black lung". There is still probably more coal to be had even though the mine is abandoned. Coal remains cheap compared to other forms of energy and we sell a lot to China. As we speak, China is building new coal fired power plants while we abandon ours. Various estimates place our coal reserves at over 100 years.
Vandalism is a lack of respect for others' stuff. Generally caused by poor or lack of upbringing. I'm surprised that there isn't paint, or as it's called, tagged, on everything.
Coal mining was the best paycheck in the area . It was and is a dirry and dangerous way to earn a living, not to mention black lung. Mothers daddy was a miner when she was born in 1932 , at that time, he was earning $1,200.00 a year . Of course, at that time, nothing cost what it does now .
The coal companies own everything in the camp. If you bought anything you bought it st the company commissary. They took it out of the miners pay check.most didn't have anything left. Some companies had their own money called script. It was only good at the company store. the commissary had aclothing department, shoe, butchers, furniture, grocery, and post office. they ran their own bank. Owe my soul to the company store were true words.
i was 6 yrs old my uncle Floyed Duncan was a minor is whole life, not sure if it was that site, i remember him coming home black as sin, so dirty you couldnt stop looking at him, RIP uncle floyed(booty) miss ya
love ya === those people demand a better pay and better life did that to the mine ? there kids maybe did that there still mad at the mine for what they did =
I have a distant cousin that was featured and given credit as appearing in the film. I saw the film before I found out he was in it and I was floored when I saw him. He was even mentioned by name by one of the other ladies in the scene. He was pro union. This was about 30 years after it was released. At the next family reunion I asked him about it. He told me some behind the scene stories but the one that stood out to me was about the foreman, Basil Collins. He told me that the film portrayed Collins much meaner than he actually was. He was against the miners in their protests, but he actually kept the peace more than not. Collins was a Free Mason and he took the oath of not harming another Mason very seriously. Many of the miners were Masons as well, so he didn't show any violence other than what you saw in the film. And of course the film's directors encouraged (off camera) the people to get violent. My cousin also mentioned that Collins had survived the death march and my cousin, being a WWII vet as well, had great respect for him.
My family was there during that strike, My uncle David was in a couple scenes on the picket line. He talked about Basil Collins being a fair man with a job to do.
Movie Trivia: Phyllis Boyens appeared in Harlan County , USA , singing" Oh, Death" with her father Nimrod Workman. She would later star as Clara Webb , Loretta Lynn's mother, in Coal Miner's Daughter.
Wow, 50 years goes by in the blink of an eye. Great video.
Yes it does
I remember doing my pickups and deliveries there many times in the 80s. The documentary was great. We lived in Arizona when we saw it and our friends thought it was awesome that we once lived so close to a place like that.
Harlan County USA captured perfectly, what life was like for coal miners who just trying to provide for their families was like in Eastern KY at the time!!
I agree. Thanks Jack!
Great documentary. My grandfather worked in the mines at Crummies Creek, Kettle Island and a few others. He wanted no part of his sons living that life so my dad left for the service and eventually Michigan (where he became a teacher). Beautiful area and i still visit yearly to pay homage to all the kinfolk buried in Knox, Laurel and Bell counties.
Thank you so much for this video!! I personally think Harlan County USA is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. I've always hoped you would do a video on the locations in the movie. To me a coal miner was one of the hardest working people you would ever find!
Thanks for the personal insight, especially for those of us who live far away.
Just because I live in Vermont, doesn't mean I shouldn't be aware of all that happened.
We were there about a week ago and you are right about not seeing the buildings when it 's all grown over. I wasn't real sure we had the right place until your video. ( we didn't walk around though, too hot and snaky) I saw the movie years ago and have wanted to go there since. Soo much history in that area and the scenery is awesome!
I worked at Eastover about 2 years , and I also worked with many of the men that you showed in the picture . A great many of them have since passed on . They were great guys , and most of them a pleasure to work with . I can remember the strike like it happened last week , and in my opinion Eastover could have ended the strike a lot sooner , and for sure previted the death of a well liked young man . Matter of fact , if Eastover had listened to miners there never would have been a strike to begin with . All the miners ever wanted were decent working conditions , and not to be treated like animals . Although I was always on the side of the miners , I did know Basil fairly well , and in my opinion he wasn't the mean nasty bloodthirsty man they made him out to be in the documentary . Basil didn't believe in unions , he thought unions were controlled by Communists . I also knew Billy G , and I can remember very well when he was elected to the office of Sheriff . Great video , brings back a lot of memories .
I'd say about nearly everyone in the film are long dead by now. Even if you were 40 in the film you would be over 90 years old now.... Not too many people reach that age.
My Grandfather worked in the mines in Harlan for 30 years. He rode in the back of a pickup truck from brownies Creek to Harlan no matter the weather for 30 years. My Grandmother said the man that gave him and other miners a ride came to the house without my grandfather and gave her a crushed busted helmet. He was never able to work again and spent the rest of his life in his home.
Thank you for reminding all of us. What miner's and their families have done for this fine country. A great reminder what American all about. Thank you.
The rundown coal camp houses that you see at the beginning of the documentary and a few other times throughout it were sitting right where the baseball field is now, right across the river from the mine entrance.
I'll have to watch that movie again.
Awesome video Coyote's! Great history on Harlan! I remember when that was happening, amazing how long ago it's done been, don't seem like no time to me! Thanks for remembering it in video!👍
You don't realize how long it's been till you go to a place like that and see how much it's changed.
The post office was the Ages-Brookside post office. Went there for years with Mom and Dad getting the mail.
Love watching❤! My dad worked in mines in 44s before moving to Ohio! In KY somewhere!
Thanks!
Daddy was chief deputy in Knox Co and knew both the sheriff of Harlan and he knew one of the state troopers that was filmed in the documentary. They were trying to keep the roads open. I’ve watched that documentary many times. Always found it so interesting.
I'm so glad I found y'alls channel!
So are we, welcome!
I can still see those places in my memories.
Hi Mr and Mrs Ignited. The movie was on one of the movie channels not very long ago
I didn’t know Basil Collins was a survivor of the Bataan Death March.
The Brookside Strike was an important moment of the Kentucky Coal wars.
Great video!
Thank you for sharing this with us!
By the way - seeing all that vandalism and wanton destruction of private property is disgraceful
Love the picture of sheriff Billy G Williams at the end of the video if I'm not mistaken they actually thought about making a movie about him at one point in time
Seems like I remember hearing something about a Billy G Williams movie that never got off the ground
I wonder what ever became of Sheriff Williams? I couldn't hardly find anything online about him but if I remember right he only served a single term as the sheriff.
Appreciate, interesting to see, brought back some memories of other kinda similar places but a few thousand miles away. I remember that Harlan County USA film, and the movie Matewan as well as The Battle of Blair Mountain, it still makes my blood boil thinking about it. My dad was a union steward when I was young, not there, but I recall him coming home and telling my mom about all that what went on, while us kids were in bed, but I listened , and it molded me into to who and what I am. & influenced our kids and nieces and nephews. Anyway, thanx to both of you for this
Great video! Any plans to do any videos around Highsplint orthe foot of Ridgeway Hill - other filming locations?
We'd like to if we get an opportunity. Thanks for watching!
in 1973, you wouldn't have been walking around there at all. It was all company property, & they'd have had you arrested for trespassing. In the earlier 2000s, that coal tipple at Brookside was used to load coal from other mines. I saw it still operating, & there were guards around it. The office building & store was also closed up & intact. The Post Office was still open (it was for Ages as well). That was 2006. I went all over Harlan County from 2001-2006 seeing the coal stuff. I met Lawrence Jones' family. His mother was still alive. I saw where he was shot. The Highsplint mines had a museum there (they still might) that had stuff from the strike era, like Basil Collins' foreman certificates. I talked to a lot of people involved in the strike. Junior Deaton was a great source of info before he passed. I met Lois Scott too.
Is the Bazel Collins in this documentary the same person the bridge is named for in Harlan?
It is indeed.
These buildings that are abanded makes me sad! So many people once lived and worked around there😢 We had moved when the film was made. But i have seen it many times!My family worked at several of those coal mines. I wonder if the company store in Louellen is still sitting! My Mom and Dad when to reunions there for years❤ People were close to each other. Miss those days❤
hey mrs coyote it was great seeing you and papa coyote yesterday.where were you at mr coyote?huh?
Good video love it keep up with the good work from Vermont
Thank you! We really appreciate that.
When I first started working in the coal mines I was signed up in the green building there at manalapan . It was a fully functioning office I started at Manalapan in 2004 working for Dewayne Bennett at R&B mining in pathfork but filled out all my paperwork there at Ages!!
Praise Yahweh for Yahshua HalleluYah ❤
Thank y'all for your adventures 🙏😊❤
Hey Mr and Mrs coyote hope you have a blessed Sunday 🙌
Thanks Mark, You too!
Great job thanks 🎉
I think it is interesting that there is not a copy of this Academy Award winning documentary at the Harlan library. "Harlan County USA" is on several top ten lists of the greatest documentary films of all time.
Do you happen to know where Lawrence Jones is burie ind? Edit: you said it's in your other film
He's buried in the Everts memorial gardens on highway 38 in Harlan County
On the last day of the company I worked for them it gone now I hauled coal at pathfork ky and worked in the mines in Smith ky never worked in the mines again coal has got so bad
I went to the movies at path fork on the week ends. We lived in the blackstar camp.
Your best video !
Thank you!
Basil Collins was mine foreman at the Highsplint Mines, the other mine that went on strike. Both mines were owned by Eastover. Brookside got their union contract, Highsplint did not. The miners from Highsplint who went on strike were all fired when the strikes ended. Basil was hated by the striking miners because he was very anti-union, & he led the scab workers into the Highsplint mines. To friends & family he was very liked & loved, & considered a very loyal friend.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Daniel
My guess is that the railroad that operated through there would have been the Louisville & Nashvillve before the CSX merger in 1980. They probably used sets of 3000hp six axle Alco Century 630s that Louisville & Nashville had at that time for the heavy coal trains.
All that vandalism is scrappers looking for copper and aluminum and brass.
Wonder if there are any kin of the people that were in Harlan County USA still living around there. Would be interesting to hear their stories of what happend back then.
Great uncle ran a drug store in Harlan during the fifties and sixties.
I remember that place. My dad dealt with them some.
One of my relatives was is in the movie her last nerve was COLDIRON she was the first woman circuit clerck judge
Her name was MARY LOU COLDIRON
@@virginiathompson7978 Lois Scott even mentions her in the documentary. It was while Lois was in jail with the other women.
@ what I meant to say was her last name was Coldiron
Looks like Kudzu is taking over.
I knew Nimrod workman in mascot Tennessee, first union president, Florence Reece my boys great great grandmaw wrote " which side are you on " that was the name of the movie " I saw the movie, Nimrod wrote a buch of the coal mining songs, he went and sang for the queen of England, he was 84 ,lived in mascot Tennessee, went ginseng digging with him,I knew his daughter, she lived close by, she had her own band,very fond memories
I’ve watched that documentary 100 times great film love the way it starts you should send me a piece of coal from there would be great 👍 but awesome video yall thanks
The coal mines fed many people, and also killed many thru "black lung". There is still probably more coal to be had even though the mine is abandoned. Coal remains cheap compared to other forms of energy and we sell a lot to China. As we speak, China is building new coal fired power plants while we abandon ours. Various estimates place our coal reserves at over 100 years.
Vandalism is a lack of respect for others' stuff. Generally caused by poor or lack of upbringing.
I'm surprised that there isn't paint, or as it's called, tagged, on everything.
Don't let Mrs. Coyote get snake bit. Back in the day those places were so nice.
In the other videos where you thought you seen a blonde haired girl in the window remember.❤
Can't forget that Rick, that actually put a scare in us for a few second.
Coal mining was the best paycheck in the area . It was and is a dirry and dangerous way to earn a living, not to mention black lung. Mothers daddy was a miner when she was born in 1932 , at that time, he was earning $1,200.00 a year . Of course, at that time, nothing cost what it does now .
Those buildings look awful now.
Nature... especially kudzu....can claim a place in a hurry.
My wife calls it the mighty Vine. Thanks for watching Scott!
Wow my dad was a coal miner. My birthday August 24th
The good old times.
Put a bush hog on the front of a locomotive 😂😂😂
If yall get a chance do more filming locations from that Harlan county USA lol and send me some coal from each
I watched the movie on tv I don’t remember the channel
👋👍
It's a 🐾 of a dog man 🐶
The coal companies own everything in the camp. If you bought anything you bought it st the company commissary. They took it out of the miners pay check.most didn't have anything left. Some companies had their own money called script. It was only good at the company store. the commissary had aclothing department, shoe, butchers, furniture, grocery, and post office. they ran their own bank. Owe my soul to the company store were true words.
we dug coal together.... Time to watch Justified again.
i was 6 yrs old my uncle Floyed Duncan was a minor is whole life, not sure if it was that site, i remember him coming home black as sin, so dirty you couldnt stop looking at him, RIP uncle floyed(booty) miss ya
It is ashamed all those people died for nothing
love ya === those people demand a better pay and better life did that to the mine ? there kids maybe did that there still mad at the mine for what they did =
If any sub group of American’s deserve to be able to sue for cruel and unusual punishments it’s miners/families!!!