"Dad never said he missed the mine, and he never said he hated it."

Born into a family with a history in mining, Harry Ferguson has a good understanding of the challenges and dangers involved in working underground. He saw his father blacklisted for his beliefs and efforts to improve working conditions for his fellow mine workers. Unlike his father and brothers, he chose at an early age not work underground.

Harry’s Story

“My father was blacklisted from the mines for trying to form a union. I think this was in Merritt. They formed a union and I think they went on strike. He used to ride the rails all over BC trying to raise funds for the union. Sometimes they would come into a town and they would be ready for them and would not even let them off the train; they would have to keep going. He was blacklisted from the mines for a number of years, but I do not think that hindered him when he came here.

“When he could not work in the coal mines, he and one of his brothers worked in hard rock mining at the Pioneer Gold Mines. He worked on the Fraser Canyon Highway running the jackhammers. They used to go down over the side to build forms to pour concrete barriers. He said they would just drill a hole in the top of the road, tie a rope to it, and go over the side. I think the first time he worked in the coal mines after being blacklisted was when he came to No. 8. It was a different company and they were already unionized.