Everett Massacre: Lumber Company Vigilantes Kill IWW Members at City Dock

On November 5, 1916, an armed posse of business owners and deputized vigilantes opened fire on a boatload of IWW members attempting to land at Everett, Washington’s city dock, killing at least five Wobblies and two deputies in what became known as the Everett Massacre or “Bloody Sunday.” The IWW members were traveling from Seattle to support striking shingle weavers and to test their right to free speech after months of vigilante violence.

The Everett Commercial Club, dominated by lumber interests including Weyerhaeuser Company, had organized vigilante attacks on IWW organizers throughout the summer of 1916. On October 30, vigilantes had kidnapped and beaten 41 IWW members at Beverly Park, leaving them bloodied and stranded. Sheriff Donald McRae, closely aligned with the Commercial Club, deputized hundreds of business owners and their employees to maintain a virtual state of siege against labor organizers.

When the steamer Verona arrived carrying approximately 250 IWW members, Sheriff McRae called out “Who is your leader?” The response “We are all leaders!” was followed immediately by gunfire. In the chaos, bodies fell into the water, and the exact death toll remains unknown - estimates range from seven to twelve IWW members killed, with many presumed drowned. Seventy-four IWW members were charged with first-degree murder, but all were acquitted when it became clear the vigilantes had fired first. No vigilante or deputy faced charges. The massacre demonstrated how completely local government could be captured by corporate interests and converted into an instrument of labor suppression.