The Italian Hall Disaster (sometimes referred to as the 1913 Massacre) was a tragedy that occurred on Wednesday, December 24, 1913, in Calumet, Michigan, United States. Seventy-three men, women, and children – mostly striking mine workers and their families – were crushed to death in a stampede when someone falsely shouted "fire" at a crowded Christmas party. Background The Calumet and Hecla Mining Company (C&H) was the single largest copper mining company in the copper country of northwest Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. One of the longest strikes in the copper country occurred in 1913 and included all the C&H mines. The Western Federation of Miners (WFM) first established a local in the area in 1908. Still, the WFM did not have a large enough membership to strike effectively until 1913. At the time, there were perhaps 15,000 men working in the mines, of which the WFM claimed 9,000 as members. The membership voted in favor of demanding union recognition from management and asking "for a conference with the employers to adjust wages, hours, and working conditions in the copper district of Michigan". The membership also voted to "declare a strike" if management refused to "grant a conference or concessions". After the vote was held, the WFM sent letters to the mines demanding the conference; the mine managers refused the request, and the strike was called on July 23, 1913. The strike would not end until April 1914; the miners and the mines were still at a standoff at Christmas 1913, in a strike that was then five months old. Disaster On Christmas Eve, many of the striking miners and their families had gathered for a holiday party sponsored by the WFM's Ladies Auxiliary. The party was held on the second floor of Calumet's Italian Hall. A steep stairway was the only way to the second floor. However, there was a poorly-marked fire escape on one side of the building and ladders down the back of the building, which could be reached only by climbing through the windows. The incident began when over four hundred people were in the room, and someone yelled, "Fire!" although there was none. However, attendees panicked and rushed for the stairs. In the ensuing stampede, 73 people (including 59 children) were killed. To date, there has been much debate about who cried "fire" and why. It is conjectured by some historians and the singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie that