Arcadia Bestsellers

In over 200 rare and historic images, the story of Marquette comes to life.

This fascinating pictorial history of Marquette, Michigan, marks the occasion of the city's sesquicentennial celebration. Containing over 200 historic images, including photographs, lithographs, and maps from almost every decade of the city's history, Marquette delves into the physical setting, economic life, architecture, weather, popular activities, and lives of the people that have made Marquette what it is today. Originally a boom town, Marquette was a convenient shipping point created to service the iron ore mines in the area. Many settlers with high spirits and energy were attracted to Marquette with hopes for a big chance at success. By the time the mines faded, however, these settlershad already built a city of enduring importance—a vital and attractive center of commerce, education, and culture.

Learn how Chicago's world-renowned Hull-House committed to humanizing the industrial city and became a model for progressive educators.

For generations, Chicagoans played in the nursery school, debated political issues, learned folk dancing, or attended citizenship classes at the city's world-famous Hull-House. From its founding by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr as a settlement house in 1889, Hull-House offered an abundant variety of community services, social activities, and educational opportunities to nourish the spirits and address the material needs of its working class neighbors on the Near West Side of Chicago. Committed to  fostering an informed and active citizenry among other things, the talented residential volunteer staff at Hull-House became expert social investigators who documented neighborhood conditions with statistics, but also with passion.

This fascinating addition to the Images of America series offers a glimpse into the unique history of Dixon, Illinois, with more than 200 historic photographs.

In the spring of 1830, John Dixon settled with his family near the Rock River in Northern Illinois. Dixon, Illinois, soon grew as men crossed the river here on their way to work in the mines at Galena. In 1832, the Black Hawk War brought a number of now-famous men to this remote outpost of civilization. Winfield Scott, Zachary Taylor, Robert Anderson, Abraham Lincoln, and Jefferson Davis were all here, each of them equally unconscious of future immortal honors. The act of the Illinois General Assembly creating Lee County was approved February 27, 1839, with Dixon officially becoming the county seat on May 31, 1839. Dixon was on its way to fast becoming a central point in Illinois, well known for its industry, beautiful scenery, and the enchantment of the Rock River Valley.

The fascinating story of Aurora's industries is recalled through the photographs of the workers themselves—many of which have never been published. Also featured in Aurora, Illinois, is a look at a master photographer and his son, who ran the foremost studio in Aurora. An 1887 description of downtown Aurora, written by a high school student who was a contemporary, is also included in this welcome new addition to the Images of America series.

Between 1914 and 1951, Black Bottom's black community emerged out of the need for black migrants to find a place for themselves.

Because of the stringent racism and discrimination in housing, blacks migrating from the South seeking employment in Detroit's burgeoning industrial metropolis were forced to live in this former European immigrant community. During World War I through World War II, Black Bottom became a social, cultural, and economic center of struggle and triumph, as well as a testament to the tradition of black self-help and community-building strategies that have been the benchmark of black struggle. Black Bottom also had its troubles and woes. However, it would be these types of challenges confronting Black Bottom residents that would become part of the cohesive element that turned Black Bottom into a strong and viable community.

These pages bring to life the people, events, communities, and industries that helped shape and transform McHenry County. With more than 200 vintage images, culled from three collections-the McHenry County Historical Society, the Crystal Lake Historical Society, the James Keefe Collection, and the personal collection of Don Peasley-McHenry County, Illinois, portrays life against a backdrop of international wars, national social struggles, and technological advances in an expanding world.

Never been seen photographs are revealed in this fascinating history of the Cleveland Indians from American League to present.

The Cleveland Indians came into existence along with the American League in 1901, and their rich and fascinating history has been well documented in photographs. Many prints from the Cleveland Press archive, dating from 1920 until the newspaper's closure in 1982, are reproduced in this book, along with a brief history of the team's successes and failures in each decade. Most of these classic photographs, which include great Indians players like Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller and slugger Rocky Colavito, a fan favorite, have not been seen in print for decades. You will also see baseball legends Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Hank Greenberg, and Joe DiMaggio as they compete with the Tribe.

From the author of Remembering Flint and Hidden History of Flint come unearthed tales of Vehicle City's lost heritage.

The city of Flint waxed and waned with the automotive industry of the twentieth century. Where they have not vanished completely, crumbling signs of past opulence stand as painful reminders of more recent struggles. Hardly a trace remains of the Buick City factory complex that sprawled across the city's north side. The placid waters of Flint Park Lake once echoed with the sounds of an amusement park--games, dancing, circus acts, even a roller coaster. Flint Community Schools pioneered a model for how schools can function outside regular hours, but too many now are closed and deteriorating. Local author Gary Flinn uncovers the abandoned places and lost traditions from the Vehicle City's past.

Hauntings and eerie tales abound in northern Ohio. Chillings legends, mysteries and hauntings.

Does Esther Hale, believed to have been executed for witchcraft, really haunt Columbiana County’s Bowman Cemetery? Is Lonesome Lock on the Ohio and Erie Canal as haunted as rumors say? Do restless spirits stalk the rooms at the Wolf Creek Tavern in Norton and the Rider’s Inn of Painesville? Do the ruins of Gore Orphanage echo with the ghastly wails of children said to have died in a fire long ago? Author William G. Krejci guides this supernatural journey through the most chilling legends of northern Ohio. Some stories are debunked. Some long-standing mysteries are solved. Some new mysteries come to light.

Since 1845, along the River Raisin in the southeastern Michigan town of Monroe, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) have distinguished themselves as educators, activists, and Catholic pioneers.

At the congregation’s peak, the motherhouse dispatched nearly 1,600 nuns to more than 100 schools across metropolitan Detroit and several states.For 175 years, the sisters taught the three Rs and the meaning of faith to nearly 700,000 students and established important metro Detroit institutions such as Marygrove College, Immaculata and Marian High Schools, and St.Mary Academy.Widely known by their initials, the IHMs have extended their reach worldwide.Monroe IHM members have served in key roles at the Vatican, as leaders of organizations representing Catholic sisters in the United States, as missionaries in Third World countries, and as groundbreaking activists and theologians.The Monroe IHMs today also attract lay women and men who dedicate themselves to the congregation’s values and goals by becoming IHM Associates.

With over 230 photographs, Detroit 1860–1899 encompasses a visual history of the city before the birth of the automobile industry.

In this rare and unprecedented collection, discover Detroit as it once was, with the people and industries that flourished in this community prior to the twentieth century. With over 230 photographs, Detroit 1860–1899 encompasses a visual history of the city before the birth of the automobile industry. Join Mr. Poremba on a trip down memory lane to the beginnings of the Motor City.  Witness its growth and change, and its lasting contributions to our nation's history. Detroit 1860–1899 will be enjoyed by young and old, resident and visitor alike.

German immigrants are responsible for making the great town of Milwaukee what it is today.

German immigrants began arriving to Milwaukee in the 1830s. By 1859, over one-third of the city was German. They opened schools and churches, started businesses, ran for office, and introduced professional German theater, art, and music to the city. Milwaukee soon became known throughout the United States—and even abroad—as the German Athens of North America. There is a reason Milwaukee is known as the city of beer and brats, why it is here that the biggest Germanfest in the country takes place, and why still today the German language can be seen and heard throughout the city. As the well-known German newspaper the Frankfurter Allgemeine stated in 2008, Deutscher als Milwaukee ist nirgendwo in Amerika (There is nowhere in America more German than in Milwaukee).

Passion, Greed, Murder, Corn Flakes

At the convergence of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo rivers lays Cereal City, USA. Named after a bloody battle between natives and land surveyors, Battle Creek is most famously the home to the Kelloggs, a family of eccentric inventors and entrepreneurs who would go on to rule the world of breakfast foods. But before their worldwide fame came the sanitarium. And the questionable deaths. And the fires. And after their downfall came the complicated legacy that would result in tragedy for decades to come.

Author and podcaster Jenn Carpenter reveals how cereal, Battle Creek’s lifeblood, also served as the root cause of bloodshed in the city many times over.

On brick buildings throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul, overlooked, fleeting symbols chronicle the cities' past.

Champion, John Deere, and International Harvester still tout their agricultural equipment, and Gold Medal and Pillsbury Flour remind everyone where these now global companies began. Weathered proclamations from Grain Belt, Jacob Schmidt, and Gluek's Beer offer a glimpse into early local brewing. Ads from Schmitt Music and Dahl Violin Shop recall a thriving art scene. Local hardware stores like Welna Ace Hardware and grocery stores like J.H. Allen & Co Grocers and Schoen's Home Grocery hawk long-gone wares through elegant painted announcements.

Join photographer and author Jay Grammond for a fascinating journey through Twin Cities history.

Drink up the history of one of the most famous beer towns in the world.

Milwaukee is most famous for its booming brewing industry, which is directly tied to a surge in German immigration in the 1840s. These new citizens brought along their work ethic, culture, and a love for their native beverage. Not all immigrants arrived from Europe; many, like Richard Owens, came from Britain. Owens has been credited with establishing the first commercial brewery in the area in 1840. Other men followed, many of whom were already experienced in brewing, and seized the opportunity to start new businesses. Brand names were carved on the front of brewery buildings, deals were made with a handshake, partnerships were cultivated, and factory cities were raised. By 1860, nearly 200 breweries were in operation in Wisconsin, with more than 40 in Milwaukee alone. Of the original 40, four have stood the test of time: Blatz, Pabst, Schlitz, and Miller are still brewed in Milwaukee, right where they were born.

Native Americans camped and fished along the lower River, but it was the potential for lumbering that drew the first White settlers and in the 1870s led to the building of railroads. Towns formed, resorts and businesses sprang up, and the River fell into a seasonal rhythm of catering to summer visitors. Spanning over 150 years, this book documents the events and attractions of the lower Russian River, including the towns of Forestville, Rio Nido, Guerneville, Monte Rio, Duncans Mills, Cazadero, and Jenner.

True crime with a Midwest twist. Award-winning crime writer Jane Ann Turzillo recounts the stories of Ohio's most notorious vixens, viragoes and villainesses.

The Buckeye State produced its share of wicked women. Tenacious madam Clara Palmer contended with constant police raids during the 1880s and ’90s. Only her death could shut the doors of her gilded bordello in Cleveland. Failed actress Mildred Gillars left for Europe right before World War II. Because she fell in love with the wrong man, she wound up peddling Nazi propaganda on the radio as “Axis Sally.”

Volatile Hester Foster was already doing time at the Ohio State Penitentiary when she bashed in the head of a fellow inmate with a shovel. The sinister Anna Marie Hahn dosed at least five elderly Cincinnati men with arsenic and croton oil and then watched them die in agony while pretending to nurse them back to health.

An engaging pictorial history of the Slovak community in Chicagoland, documenting their journeys and struggles through rare and vintage images.

The story of Slovak Americans in Chicagoland is a tale of the American dream. In a few short years, emigrants from Slovakia with little to their names came to the United States and succeeded beyond their highest hopes. This fascinating story of rags to riches has been documented in historical photographs in Images of America: Slovaks of Chicagoland. Many Slovaks came to America with few assets, no more than a sixth-grade education, and no knowledge of the English language. They went to school and became naturalized citizens. Many took menial jobs in stockyards, steel mills, and oil refineries. They saved their money and opened grocery stores, banks, construction firms, and other businesses. Slovaks built beautiful churches, quality schools, and recreational facilities. They raised their families to be proud Americans and incorporated traditions from Slovakia into their daily lives, including the important role of religion.

Explore Lansing’s role in the war to preserve the Union and end slavery

When war erupted between North and South, the capital of Michigan was ready to serve. The population of Lansing in 1860 was only 3000, but by the spring of 1865, over 500 men from the Capital City had enlisted to fight. These citizen-soldiers left the farms, factories, shops and schools of their youths to fight to uphold the Union and end slavery. Many of these boys would be wounded, captured, or killed, and those fortunate enough to return, came home changed, permanently maimed, and often haunted men.

Using primary sources, including letters and personal diaries, author Matthew J. VanAcker unfolds the story of uncommon valor that offers a glimpse into the lives of the soldiers, their families, and the city they left behind.

After an extremely hot and dry summer, Chicago got a spark that grew into something unimiginable and unforgettable on Oct. 8, 1871.

On Oct. 8, 1871, what became known as the Great Chicago Fire was a massive firestorm that moved faster than most men could run, fueled by southwest winds of at least 30 miles per hour. The heat was so intense it melted stone and brick buildings in minutes and turned sand on the lakeshore into glass. A total of 18,000 buildings were destroyed. About 100,000 were left homeless, and over 300 lost their lives. The very same day, and nearly the same hour, both the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and Peshtigo, Wisconsin, suffered similar firestorms. Peshtigo's was even worse, creating an event that came to be known as the Peshtigo Paradigm. Many people believe the three fires forming a huge triangle of destruction were related as one with cosmic causes, and it remains a mystery to this day. Authors and native Chicagoans John Boda and Ray Johnson take you inside this historic happening.

These untold stories and never-before-seen images explore the human drama of the 1913 Flood as it unfolded in Tippecanoe County, Indiana.

Heralding the coming spring, the weather forecast promised a warm and sunny Easter in 1913. Little did the citizens of Tippecanoe County realize that a furious deluge would cause the Wabash River to swell to an ungovernable and lethal height. Bridges collapsed, whole buildings came unmoored from their foundations and washed away, and heroic rescue attempts saved lives and cost others.

Authors and retired Purdue professors Pete Bill and Arnold Sweet describe the travails of communities suddenly cut off from the rest of the world and facing a natural disaster that gripped twenty states.

A vibrant community of artists, watermen, entrepreneurs, educators, and spiritual leaders left a legacy well worth preserving.

Nestled in northeastern Indiana's Kosciusko County, Syracuse and its two lakes, Lake Wawasee and Syracuse Lake, became a popular area both for industry and tourism following the completion of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1874. What had been a quiet fisherman's paradise developed quickly, as hotels, restaurants, and merchants sprang up to meet the growing demand of residents and visitors. Pharmaceutical manufacturer Col. Eli Lilly helped establish the first sailing club on Lake Wawasee, and Chicago-based mobsters in Al Capone's crime syndicate ran gambling operations. Upscale hotels attracted the wealthy and influential, while ambitious locals made Syracuse a competitive industrial presence in the state, nurtured innovative boat builders, and supported a strong foundation of schools and churches.

Explore neglected corners of Hamilton County history

Hamilton County's past harbors sundry strange tales, many of them lost to time--until now. In 1867, a groom disappeared just before his wedding, presumably running away on cold feet. Four decades later his remains were discovered buried under a shed in a mystery that remains unsolved. In the 1870s, the Sheriff marshaled a seven-man posse, including two local African Americans, to deal with "desperados'? in an isolated corner of the county. Their heroic efforts swiftly liberated the local populous from the yoke of banditry. A giant wave of ravenous squirrels descended on Central Indiana in 1882 to feast on crops, to the shock and dismay of new settlers.

Join county historian David Heighway for a tour of all things odd and forgotten.

The riveting story of Slovenian heritage in Cleveland, Ohio and how the culture remains relevant even today.

The Newburgh, St. Clair and Collinwood neighborhoods formed the core of Greater Cleveland's enormous Slovenian population, still the largest in America. The city's Slovenian heritage is replete with gripping tales of World War II prison camp escapes and bizarre bank robbers who threatened the St. Clair Savings institution. The catastrophic East Ohio Gas explosion and tragic Collinwood school fire are etched into local consciousness. The rise of neighborhood residents to professional sports stardom and national political prominence contribute to a proud legacy. And the century-old Cleveland style Slovenian polka remains an important cultural expression. Author Alan Dutka offers the first comprehensive history of the struggles and triumphs of Cleveland's Slovenians.

Cincinnati loves goetta.

Since its arrival with nineteenth-century Germanic immigrants, this humble dish has evolved from peasant staple to ubiquitous delicacy. Once upon a time, Cincinnatians found goetta mostly in neighborhood butcher shops, in Over-the-Rhine’s so-called Goetta Alley and through Sander Packing, its first commercial producer. Now hungry locals scarf it down at diners and white-linen establishments alike and in everything from egg rolls to Reuben sandwiches. Tracing goetta from its Germanic origins and its first stop in Greater Cincinnati to its largest commercial producers, Queen City Sausage and Gliers, food etymologist and “Goettevangelist” Dann Woellert explores goetta’s history in the city that made it regionally famous.

Cincinnati Television provides an informative entertaining look at Cincinnati's broadcast history through the images and stories of its participants.

Cincinnati has a distinguished television history. Beginning before WLW-T signed on the air in February 1948, its experimental station W8XCT broadcast from the 46th floor of the Carew Tower. WKRC-TV and WCPO-TV signed on in 1949, WCET in 1954, and WXIX-TV in 1968. Since then, television has become part of the family.

Uncle Al, Skipper Ryle, Batty Hattie from Cincinnati, the Cool Ghoul, Peter Grant, Al Schottelkotte, Nick Clooney, Ruth Lyons, Paul Baby, Bob Braun, and Jerry Springer visited Cincinnati living rooms on television. Remember Midwestern Hayride, TV Dance Party, PM Magazine, Juvenile Court, Young People's Specials, Lilias, Dotty Mack, Bob Shreve, Mr. Hop, Bean's Clubhouse, The Last Prom, and Ira Joe? They are part of the collective Cincinnati history, part of the Cincinnati culture, and part of the Cincinnati family.

Jim Friedman is a Cincinnati native and resident wordsmith who has created television shows since 1979. He has won 56 regional Emmy Awards for writing, directing, and producing television shows for WCPO-TV, WKRC-TV, WLWT, WXIX, and WCET. He created The Celebrate Series, The Dooley Show, Everyday Freedom Heroes, and the Dreambuilder movies. In Cincinnati Television, he shares memories from in front of the camera, behind the scenes, and all over town.

Long before it became a premier residential community and a social, cultural, and commercial center, Birmingham was a pioneer village in search of an identity.

Birmingham, Michigan was born when the first three European settlers, John West Hunter, Elijah Willits, and John Hamilton, established taverns within shouting distance of one another on a trail used by Native Americans and trappers. The isolated outpost was soon a fledgling village with a railroad, mill, and foundry. '

Early leaders had high hopes that Birmingham would one day become an industrial center to rival its namesake in England. But the Industrial Revolution largely bypassed Birmingham, instead landing on four wheels at nearby Detroit and Pontiac. By the 1920s, the quiet and cozy village of church bells, ice-cream socials, and tidy storefronts was well on its way to becoming one of the most desirable communities in the country.

Craig Jolly draws on the extensive resources of the Birmingham Historical Museum to tell the fascinating story of Birmingham's transformation from a pioneer settlement to an extremely appealing 21st-century town that symbolizes, for many, the fruition of the American dream

Relive the World Series upset that gave rise to St. Louis's baseball obsession

With a legacy of 11 World Series wins, the culture of St. Louis intertwines with the Cardinals. It all started in 1926 with a legendary World Series upset against Babe Ruth’s Yankees. But what goes untold are compelling stories—like Ruth charming the city into what became a tradition of cheering opposing players—that made St. Louis fans go baseball crazy for the first time while early radio broadcasts helped turn the region into “Cardinal country.” These forgotten anecdotes made 1926 more than another championship. The victory transformed St. Louis into a baseball town, putting in place practices, traditions, loyalties, and an energy that have been passed down through time.

Terry Lemons, a St. Louis native, brings a reporter’s eye to recover faded memories that shine new light on the story that began in 1926.

Long before Stonewall, queerness thrived in the Queen City.

From queer soldiers in 1862 to drag kings and queens who lit up saloons and concert halls, Cincinnati’s early LGBTQ+ history reaches into the forgotten corners of the city's past, introducing unlikely and extraordinary figures. Like Mary Ann Jefferson, a Black transgender woman who, in the late nineteenth century, became a fixture in the criminal underworld of Rat Row, Cincinnati’s most dangerous neighborhood. Or Julius "Junkie" Fleischmann, a gay man who, even as the U.S. government launched a purge of homosexuals from its ranks, secretly served as a covert operative for the CIA at the end of World War II.

Charting the rise of pre-Stonewall bars, brothels, and hidden sanctuaries that offered fleeting refuge amid relentless repression, historian Jacob Hogue offers a bold, long-overdue reclaiming of queer Cincinnati’s place in the American narrative.

Witness the Darker Side of the Hawkeye State

The farmlands and rural areas of Iowa are no stranger to the weird, dark and mysterious. Learn about a terrestrial sighting from 1903, a creepy cryptid that terrorized the town of Van Meter. Find out about Bigfoot sightings in Calhoun County. Peer under the waters of Lake Okoboji to find a huge lake monster. Read the history of a frightening sculpture based on a story by Franz Kafka and hear a premonition that predicted a devastating fire. Five-time Bram Stoker Finalist author Michael McCarty and Professor Emeritus Bruce Walters forge a twisted path through shadowy, Gothic Iowa. Do you dare follow?

Author Jeffrey Alan John explores the history, theories and fundamental Serpent Mound questions: What culture made it? Why? And when? Thousands of years ago, people in what would become southern Ohio encountered a vista they recognized as special. They couldn’t know that their view overlooked a 300-million-year-old crater, but as time passed, they made the plateau a resting place for generations of societies that eventually raised—with considerable planning and effort—the Great Serpent Mound, a place where history and mystery coincide. Uninhabited and overgrown when early Ohio settlers found it, the preserved effigy inspired pioneering archaeology and continues to prompt increasingly elaborate thinking. Scientists say that it measures the calendar, while theologians and mystics ponder its spiritual meaning.

Author Noel B. Poirier takes readers into darkest reaches of Tuscarawas County history. Tranquility is the norm amid these rolling hills, but normal doesn’t mean always. In this version of county history, the Black Hand Syndicate whacks those they can’t extort, a Midvale man takes a hatchet to the head (a dozen times) and four teenagers happen upon a murder victim along Dover railroad tracks. From grave robbers looting the dead in New Philadelphia to a mutilated body turning up in Dennison and a bomb going off at Bolivar State Bank in 1910, author Noel B. Poirier takes readers on a harrowing journey into T-County’s unsettling past.

Milwaukee is full of weird borders, streets that do not line up right, creepy cemeteries and other curious things.

Many locals have heard about the crooked bridges downtown, the sewer Socialists and the attempt on Teddy Roosevelt’s life. Not as many know about the time Josette Juneau saved Milwaukee, the city’s link to The Exorcist or its ghost towns like Oakwood, Saint Martin’s and Root Creek. And yes, a lion really lived inside the library. Employees used bowling balls to play fetch with it.

Milwaukee-based historian James Nelsen shares joyous and amazing stories of the Cream City’s strange history.

When visiting a church such as Holy Cross in Back of the Yards or Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary in Marquette Park, it is easy to stand in awe of what generations of Lithuanians in Chicago have accomplished. 

The community’s many churches, sprawling cultural institutions, schools, and countless organizations stand as a testament to its pride and work ethic. For nearly 150 years and across three waves of immigration, Lithuanians came to Chicago seeking freedom and opportunity not afforded them at home. The first people to come at the turn of the 20th century worked and lived mostly in and around the stockyards and centered their community on the parish church. Those who came after World War II, fleeing the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, were foremost committed to advocating for their homeland and keeping their heritage alive. The numerous organizations and cultural centers they established reflect this. The most recent wave revitalized an aging community, injecting new energy into existing organizations and opening new businesses, schools, and other organizations.

Justin G. Riskus is a history teacher and writer who has many fond memories of growing up in the Lithuanian communities of Chicago, Lemont, and Gary, Indiana. He is also the author of Arcadia’s Lithuanian Chicago, published in 2013. The majority of images in this book come from the archives of the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture as well as other organizations and community members. 

The story of the intersection between vigilantism and law enforcement

In frontier Indiana, vigilantism was a grim necessity. Beginning with the vigilance committees of the 1860s that lynched the Reno Gang and the Knights of the Golden Circle, who plotted to assassinate Governor Morton, the Hoosier State was a hotbed for citizens taking the law into their own hands. Later groups such as the White Caps enforced their own moral code, while the state legislature sanctioned the Horse Thief Detective Association and the Banking Vigilantes.

Chronicling the vigilante groups that operated in Indiana, author Robert Bowling explores the evolution of law enforcement from the lone marshal on the frontier to the birth of the modern police department and the Indiana State Police.

On Wednesday, November 5, 1930, Sunday Creek Coal Company Mine #6 at Millfield became the unenviable site of Ohio's worst coal mining disaster. Negligence caused an electrical spark to ignite accumulated methane and detonated untreated explosive dust. Within minutes 82 men were dead, 56 women became widows and 137 dependents found themselves fatherless. Approximately 120 men not in the direct line of blast and flame escaped. Miraculously, 19 others were found barely alive many hours after all were presumed dead. The tragedy could have been prevented if proper procedures had been followed and profit not put before worker safety. Author Ron Luce brings all of the facts together for the first time to tell the story of the Millfield Mine Disaster in full detail.