Loup City in Sherman County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The Loup City Riot, 1934
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 11, 2021
1. The Loup City Riot Marker
During the Depression low farm prices, accompanied by dust storms and drought, created unrest among farmers and workers in Sherman County and across Nebraska. The Farm Holiday movement, which encouraged farmers to withhold agricultural products from the market, was active. Representatives of left-wing political groups arrived to promote their own programs for economic recovery. In Loup City the People’s Standard, edited by A. E. Brunsdon, endorsed local farmer and worker complaints.
Violence erupted in Loup City on June 14, 1934, after rumors spread that women poultry workers at the Fairmont Creamery plant might strike for higher wages. Ella Reeve “Mother” Bloor of the American Communist Party, and a group of associates then in Nebraska, organized a demonstration of support on the courthouse lawn. A march from there to the creamery and back culminated in a clash with local residents. The resulting jail sentences and fines levied upon Mother Bloor and others in her group marked the end of the attempt by the far left to organize farmers and workers in Nebraska.
Erected by Sherman County Historical Society; and Nebraska State Historical Society. (Marker Number 393.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture
this page online
Location. 41° 16.494′ N, 98° 58.026′ W. Marker is in Loup City, Nebraska, in Sherman County. Marker is at the intersection of O Street and North 7th Street, on the right when traveling west on O Street. Marker is located beside the sidewalk at the southwest corner of the Sherman County Courthouse grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 630 O Street, Loup City NE 68853, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Sherman County Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Loup City Township Carnegie Library (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Dead Horse Creek (approx. 0.3 miles away); Jenner's Park (approx. 0.4 miles away); Austin (approx. 5.8 miles away); Arcadia Congregational Church (approx. 13.1 miles away); Arcadia Centennial 1885-1985 (approx. 13.3 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. Sherman County Courthouse.
Wikipedia entry:(Submitted on September 5, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
The riot marked the end of the Farm Holiday Movementin Nebraska. The Farm Holiday Movement was an agrarian farmer's movement in reaction to poor agricultural conditions in the 1930s. In the riot, the well-known national labor figure Ella Reeve "Mother" Bloor and other activists, including Communists, were arrested. Bloor recounted the affair in her 1940 autobiography, We Are Many, and "the arrests, trial, and subsequent appeals were reported nationally."Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 11, 20212. The Loup City Riot MarkerSherman County Courthouse in background.
2. Ella Reeve Bloor.
Wikipedia entry:(Submitted on September 5, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Ella Reeve "Mother" Bloor was an American labor organizer and long-time activist in the socialist and communist movements. Bloor is best remembered as one of the top-ranking female functionaries in the Communist Party USA and as one of the most prominent socialist feminists in United States history.
Unknown photographer, via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain), 1910
3. Ella Reeve “Mother” Bloor (1862–1951)
Radical American trade union organizer.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 402 times since then and 61 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week June 11, 2023. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 5, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 3. submitted on June 10, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
