 The union demanded that Fullerton rehire the two men he had fired, and when he refused, the WFM struck the Telluride mill.p.76

The WFM again tried to shut down the mines supplying ore to the struck mills in Colorado City.But this time, the leadership decided on a massive show of union force.Rather than strike just the mines supplying ore to the struck mills, as before, on 8 August, the WFM shut down the entire mining district, declaring strikes at about 50 mines, and idling 3,500 workers.p.205 Although the union had no issue with mine owners, the WFM hoped that a larger strike would put more pressure on mill owners to settle.p.76 The Cripple Creek district had been a union stronghold for the Western Federation of Miners since its success in the strike of 1894, and it seemed a safe base from which to expand union power into the ore processing mills.