On March 8, 1924, a series of explosions at the Castle Gate mines in Utah killed 171 coal miners. Among them were 49 Greeks, 48 of whom were from Crete. They had gone underground in pursuit of the American dream.
It was one of the greatest tragedies in the history of labor in the United States. After years of effort, the local Greek community and the victims’ descendants succeeded in erecting a memorial to the immigrants who lost their lives. They left behind a deeply moving story. Today, we’ll tell it.