Note the ballustrade atop the building in this photo, cropped from a larger image below.
Note the ironwork supporting the flagpole above the building in this photo. An upper window is transcribed with "VICTOR MINERS UNION NO. 32," and other text that is not easily decipherable. There are no bullet holes in the building yet, and this photo was probably taken in 1903.
A detail shot of the ironwork above the entrance.
The sign in the first upstairs window is not clear, but it may indicate a particular room in the building. The sign in the second upstairs window says, "MEET TONIGHT." Dozens of papers hang in a window of the union hall's lower level storefront, and a painted sign attached to the store window's cornerpost says "UNION LAUNDRY." In a different photo (see below) the awning that is rolled up offers "STATIONARY, CANDIES & TOBACCO." The sign below that awning says "BILLIARDS AND POOL," and there is an unclear reference to "NAVY(5)," possibly advertising a nickel cigar.
There are several women looking out of windows on the upper floors of next door buildings, and one person watches from the roof of the nearby hotel. There is a white dog walking in front of the two women in front of the store. The barrel in front of the Simonton Moore Mercantile Exchange holds a broom, presumably for sweeping the sidewalk.
The awning in the Delmonico(?) store next door (photo enhanced) says "COMING: WAY DOWN EAST," which was the name of D.W. Griffith's 1920 film about a sham marriage. If this is a 1920 photo, then the union would have been gone from the community for fifteen years.
More likely, "WAY DOWN EAST" refers to the play, which was written by Lottie Blair Parker in 1890.
The signs in two windows indicate (see below) that the photo, above, was taken before 1915. Bullet damage places it in 1904 or later.
But there's one more compelling clue. The fellow on the roof appears to be in uniform, holding a rifle. This suggests the photo may have been taken most likely in 1904, possibly in 1905.
The storefronts are depicted in this photo, with no awnings obscuring them. There are bullet holes clearly visible on the exterior. The filename of this photo indicates it was taken in 1915. Note the awning on the left is missing, and on the storefront next door as well. The "MEET TONIGHT" message has been moved from the second window to the sign frame in the first window. The Simonton Moore Mercantile Company is gone, replaced by the Sullivan Furniture Company. Numerous of the painted signs have been removed. There are potted flowers in the storefront window to the left, and potted plants in the storefront window to the right, and in two of the upstairs windows of the union hall building.
At least fifteen bullet holes are visible in the original of this photo, all concentrated in or around upstairs windows where the union offices were maintained.
The WFMA grillwork survived at least to 1915.
The filename identifies this photo as "Miners Union Hall Mob."
The Colorado National Guard. Victor had its own National Guard regiment stationed at the armory, one block from the WFM hall. Although the sign says Cripple Creek (Coal Transportation Co), this is 4th street in Victor, near the WFM union hall. (photo enhanced)
