![[Wheatland Hop Riot], Wanted Poster for the Falsely-Accused Labor Leaders Richard "Blackie" Ford and Herman D. Suhr, 1913](https://artlogic-res.cloudinary.com/w_2400,h_2400,c_limit,f_auto,fl_lossy,q_auto/artlogicstorage/dollc/images/view/7daf1d537aa1484caa7b4764a61b49c3j/daniel-oliver-wheatland-hop-riot-wanted-poster-for-the-falsely-accused-labor-leaders-richard-blackie-ford-and-herman-d.-suhr-1913.jpg)
[Wheatland Hop Riot]
Wanted Poster for the Falsely-Accused Labor Leaders Richard "Blackie" Ford and Herman D. Suhr, 1913
Letterpress on paper
11 x 7 1/2 inches
Printed by Morrisey Press, Marysville, CA
Printed by Morrisey Press, Marysville, CA
This seemingly unrecorded wanted poster was produced in the immediate aftermath of the Wheatland Hop Riot, which took place on the Durst Ranch in Wheatland California on August 3rd, 1913....
This seemingly unrecorded wanted poster was produced in the immediate aftermath of the Wheatland Hop Riot, which took place on the Durst Ranch in Wheatland California on August 3rd, 1913.
The Durst Brothers Hop Yard was, at the time, the state’s largest single employer of agricultural workers and the largest hop farm in the world. Earlier in the summer, Ralph H. Durst, the ranch’s owner, had enticed workers by offering high rates of pay and ample job opportunities, promising to hire every white hops picker who arrived on the ranch by August 5th. As hop harvesting only occurs during a three or four week window, hop farmers would hire as many workers as possible to ensure the harvest was brought in on time and costs stayed low.
Almost 3000 workers and their families answered his call, almost twice the needed amount. Those that did get work strained long hours for low pay amidst what was, at the time, one of the hottest summers in California’s history. To make matters worse, living conditions on the ranch were deplorable. In his article “The Legacy of Wheatland” Dick Meister writes:
“The workers were crowded together in a treeless, sun-baked camp a mile from the hop fields. They slept, many without even blankets, in the open or in ragged tents rented to them. There were only nine shallow, door-less privies. Garbage was tossed into nearby irrigation ditches. The wells that supplied their drinking water were contaminated.”
On Friday, August 1st, about thirty affiliates of the IWW (“Wobblies”) gathered at Durst Ranch to encourage a strike. Field worker Richard “Shorty” or “Blackie” Ford, a former Wobbly himself, was chosen as spokesperson for the potential strikers. The next day, Ford, along with about thirty wobblies and four to five hundred pickers, gave a list of demands to Durst, who partially complied. But Ford threatened a strike if all demands were not met so he and several others were immediately fired. The men refused to leave. Over the next few days, there were mass meetings and speeches by Ford and IWW Herman Suhr. The crowd sung Wobbly songs and remained peaceful.
Durst went to Wheatland and returned with his attorney, Edmund T. Manwell (who also happened to be the district attorney of Yuba County), along with Sheriff George H. Voss and a handful of deputies. As David A. Kulcyk describe it in his article “The Hops of Wrath”:
“The posse spotted the protesters at the dance platform and roared up in their auto to confront them. Firing his pistol into the air for emphasis, Voss yelled to the crowd, “I’m the sheriff of Yuba County! Disperse!” But the workers stood their ground and a rock was thrown, striking Sheriff Voss in the head. Walking through the crowd, the authorities nervously eyed the protesters milling about the dance floor when Ralph Durst spotted Ford. Durst pointed at Ford and yelled to the posse, “That’s the man! Take him!” As the officers grabbed Ford, the crowd surged forward and all hell broke out.”
One of Voss’s deputies fired his shotgun in an effort to quell the crowd, but it had the opposite effect. By the end of the melee, the district attorney, one of the deputies, and two pickers were dead. Scores more were injured.
Ford and Suhr were eventually charged with second-degree murder (though Suhr was not actually present) and sentenced to life in prison. In the highly-publicized trial, the prosecutor acknowledged neither men participated in the riot, but argued they were guilty of provoking the workers and IWW members to commit violence. They were sentenced to life in prison, but after being recognized as martyrs for the labor movement, were both pardoned in 1925.
From the estate of Ron Lerch.
The Durst Brothers Hop Yard was, at the time, the state’s largest single employer of agricultural workers and the largest hop farm in the world. Earlier in the summer, Ralph H. Durst, the ranch’s owner, had enticed workers by offering high rates of pay and ample job opportunities, promising to hire every white hops picker who arrived on the ranch by August 5th. As hop harvesting only occurs during a three or four week window, hop farmers would hire as many workers as possible to ensure the harvest was brought in on time and costs stayed low.
Almost 3000 workers and their families answered his call, almost twice the needed amount. Those that did get work strained long hours for low pay amidst what was, at the time, one of the hottest summers in California’s history. To make matters worse, living conditions on the ranch were deplorable. In his article “The Legacy of Wheatland” Dick Meister writes:
“The workers were crowded together in a treeless, sun-baked camp a mile from the hop fields. They slept, many without even blankets, in the open or in ragged tents rented to them. There were only nine shallow, door-less privies. Garbage was tossed into nearby irrigation ditches. The wells that supplied their drinking water were contaminated.”
On Friday, August 1st, about thirty affiliates of the IWW (“Wobblies”) gathered at Durst Ranch to encourage a strike. Field worker Richard “Shorty” or “Blackie” Ford, a former Wobbly himself, was chosen as spokesperson for the potential strikers. The next day, Ford, along with about thirty wobblies and four to five hundred pickers, gave a list of demands to Durst, who partially complied. But Ford threatened a strike if all demands were not met so he and several others were immediately fired. The men refused to leave. Over the next few days, there were mass meetings and speeches by Ford and IWW Herman Suhr. The crowd sung Wobbly songs and remained peaceful.
Durst went to Wheatland and returned with his attorney, Edmund T. Manwell (who also happened to be the district attorney of Yuba County), along with Sheriff George H. Voss and a handful of deputies. As David A. Kulcyk describe it in his article “The Hops of Wrath”:
“The posse spotted the protesters at the dance platform and roared up in their auto to confront them. Firing his pistol into the air for emphasis, Voss yelled to the crowd, “I’m the sheriff of Yuba County! Disperse!” But the workers stood their ground and a rock was thrown, striking Sheriff Voss in the head. Walking through the crowd, the authorities nervously eyed the protesters milling about the dance floor when Ralph Durst spotted Ford. Durst pointed at Ford and yelled to the posse, “That’s the man! Take him!” As the officers grabbed Ford, the crowd surged forward and all hell broke out.”
One of Voss’s deputies fired his shotgun in an effort to quell the crowd, but it had the opposite effect. By the end of the melee, the district attorney, one of the deputies, and two pickers were dead. Scores more were injured.
Ford and Suhr were eventually charged with second-degree murder (though Suhr was not actually present) and sentenced to life in prison. In the highly-publicized trial, the prosecutor acknowledged neither men participated in the riot, but argued they were guilty of provoking the workers and IWW members to commit violence. They were sentenced to life in prison, but after being recognized as martyrs for the labor movement, were both pardoned in 1925.
From the estate of Ron Lerch.