The series of incidents that have most frequently been referred to as the
Colorado Labor Wars involved a struggle between the
Western Federation of Miners (WFM) and the mine operators, particularly the
Cripple Creek Mine Owners' Association (CCMOA), during the period from 1903 to 1904. Like so many other fights between the miners and the owners of the mines, this was a brutal and bloody period in
Colorado's history. A nearly simultaneous strike in Colorado's northern and southern coal fields was also met with a military response by the Colorado National Guard.