Editor's Note: Thanks to Sandra Michaud for attending and recording this event, because this author was unable to attend.

By Mary Alice Murphy

On Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017, the four municipal mayors of Grant County met to hear a proposal to create a mining museum with a focus on the Empire Zinc Mine strike, which began on Oct. 17, 1950, when the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers went on strike demanding the company end discriminatory pay and housing for workers. White workers were paid more and received better housing than Hispanic workers, it was alleged. The strike was memorialized in a film, "Salt of the Earth." On January 21, 1952, the company came to an agreement with the strikers, giving them nearly everything they asked for, including increasing wages and benefits and providing hot water to the homes.

Silver City Mayor Ken Ladner said the meeting was initiated after talking to Simon Ortiz, who was the main presenter of the evening.

"Sixty-seven years ago, our community experienced one of the most impactful events of its history," Ortiz said. "The Empire Zinc Mine strike. After it was over, the movie was made. This memory of this pain is very much a part of the soul and memory of this community."

He noted that, out of most residents few are not aware of 'Salt of the Earth,' Ortiz continued. "If we do not do something with this memory, it will disappear in history. This conversation has gone back years. Tony Macias (who was also present) and I have been talking about it for many years. We want to pursue it into a doable project. Collectively, Tony, Rudy (Rodolpho Martinez, New Mexico District 39 representative, who arrived a bit late), and I will start something. It is our objective to memorialize this history by establishing the old Union Hall in Bayard as a museum. We want to create a forum to tell the story in a commercially viable way and to create innovative business opportunities."

"There is so much to tell and talk about," he said. "We want to start the discussion to perpetuate the history and make sure it is told factually and unabridged. We have to figure out how to tell such a racist and painful history without anger, but it has to be done. If we do it correctly, we have a very good story to tell to bring in people to hear it."

He said the three of them were just beginning the process. "The Union Hall is perfect for a museum. It is so fitting that this union hall would be turned into a museum. The movie, 'Salt of the Earth,' was blacklisted at first, but with the right storytellers, we can tell the story and attract tourists into the community, which mean business and economic development."

The three who are starting the conversation are Cobre High School graduates in the same class, Ortiz said. "How can we create a story that will impel people to visit? If we do it correctly, it will create an iconic magnet, similar to San Antonio's Alamo or Ruidoso's snow and skiing. The Mining District is where the soul of Salt of the Earth is. People will stay in Silver City. How will we market it through social media? The challenges are huge. The university has a marketing department and a business department. They have a lot of cultural abilities at the university that will help us take the story and make it factual."

"Freeport McMoRan, I believe, will be a partner, because it would be a highly beneficial and generous partner," Ortiz said. "They own assets for the tours, which can be done on a bigger scale than what Terry Humble does now. How do we identify resources to create a website, learn how to use social media to spread the word? There's so much story out there, we need to get them before they're gone. Tell it historically correctly as much as it pains us. If told correctly, it's a damn good story."

"The Salt of the Earth can be the umbrella theme," Macias said. "Although it would be in the hall in Bayard, it had an impact on miners in Silver City, Santa Clara and Hurley. Several people are interested in helping. We need to come up with the mission as our group of three. Both sides of the story, the pros and cons, must be addressed in the committee. My father and grandfather were miners and part of the strike. I was five or six years old and I remember parts. It is my objective to see the miners remembered properly. We have to be factual about what really happened. The Salt of the Earth appeared nationally. We were tied to communism. The museum would be economically, nationally and even internationally of interest."

Martinez said he has been working with a group in Las Cruces, made up of Grant County natives. "We can't forget Art Flores, who was one of the union founding members. I introduced a House Memorial this past legislative session with the facts and history of the strike, the accusations of being communists, the women being arrested. We have to do something. The reason I did the memorial was to ask the state Historic Division to designate the union hall as historic. It is owned by the Steelworkers. It's just sitting there. It has a lot of historic value. It's time we move forward and make every effort to put it together. We have to dialogue with the Steelworkers Union, which is based in Las Cruces."

Ortiz said he could envision tours with the help of the local hotels and motels putting packages together. "We have to make sure it is a viable, sellable product. It's a compelling human interest story."

Ladner said he thought the mayors' forum would be a good place to discuss the idea.

Martinez said he was attending a Northern Chihuahua and Southern New Mexico Conference in Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, when two very large busses pulled up. They were surprised he spoke English, when he asked where they were coming from. The tour begins in Tucson, with passengers from New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island in this group. "I asked why they didn't come to Silver City or Deming, and they said they didn't know about them. With proper advertising, they could drive from Lordsburg to Silver City and to Deming."

Ortiz said he had a copy of the memorial Martinez had presented and would get copies to the mayors.

Santa Clara Mayor Richard Bauch said he has family members who were in the strike and in the movie. "I've wondered why Bayard hadn't done anything about it."

Ortiz said a committee could get as creative a business plan as possible that would support the effort.

Bauch said the stories could be collected the way NPR collects such stories.

Ortiz said a couple of university faculty members are good at writing stories. "Hopefully we can create a commercial project."

Ladner asked if anything at the Library of Congress could be used to help the project.

"The Library of Congress would give it a wide appeal and legitimacy," Ortiz said.

Martinez said a number of family members who participated have the stories.

"Before they pass away, we have to get the stories," Bauch said. "I've heard some of the stories. It was an amazing event. Bayard has many tremendous opportunities with this."

Ortiz said it is important to know why the railroad runs through Hurley.

"I think it's a great idea," Bauch said. "People don't come to Grant County unless they have a reason to come."

Ladner said he sees the potential to move tourism around the county.

"I saw two tour busses coming from Silver City, when I was at the light between Santa Clara and Fort Bayard," Bauch said. "I could hear the guide saying 'and off to the left is Fort Bayard,' but they kept on going straight. When my family came here from Germany, they loved all this Western stuff and they still do."

Martinez noted that Humble with his tours concentrates on the mine sites. "We could talk about all the mining history of Bayard."

"Old stuff has the appeal," Ortiz said. "You can't understand it unless you stand at the Empire Zine mine site. We have endless possibilities, showing where history happened."

Martinez said the underpass in Hurley is a historic site.

Hurley Mayor Fernando Martinez said he has a photo of the underpass.

"New stuff you can get anywhere," Ortiz said. "It's history that appeals to people. In the early days, Hurley had separate showers for the whites. The Hispanics got kicked out of the story of what really happened. What separates us is the compelling part of the story. I ask the mayor of each community to compile its points of interest, particularly as they pertain to the Salt of the Earth theme."

Ladner said the Silver City Museum has a lot of photos. "Next Thursday, their panel series will talk about discrimination issues."

Ortiz said the biggest challenge is to collect the stories from those who took part in the strike. "The communities should be collecting their stories."

Bayard Mayor Charles Kelly said if the group wants to get support from the mining company, it has to include the history of the railroad, the mining operations and not just the strike, which is only part of the history.

"We have to approach the mining company with a business plan," Ortiz said, "so they understand its their history, too. The company owns this land. I believe they will fund brochures with their name on them."