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The Great Violent Golf Caddy Riot of 1904
More than a century ago, a group of 30 disgruntled caddies who were refused a large pay increase and summarily fired fought back by attacking golfers and golf course employees alike
Even with labor unions now being common throughout the United States, it’s not unusual for disputes to arise between employers and their workers. However, few of these disagreements rise to the level of what happened in Marinette, Wisconsin in 1904 when a large group of golf caddies, unhappy about not receiving a pay raise, started a violent riot at the golf course, including assaulting the golfers.
The June 2, 1904 issue of the Chicago Tribune reported on the happenings at the Riverside Golf Club in Marinette, Wisconsin. At the time, labor unions had been around in some form for decades, but were still dealt with suspiciously and harshly by many, who didn’t want workers to have the kind of power where they could enact change for themselves in the form of better working conditions and pay, among other things.
Although not unionized, a group of 30 caddies from Riverside banded together and approached management. They had a pretty significant ask, as they requested a pay increase from $0.10 an hour to $0.15. 50% pay raises are…
