On this day in 1921, the first skirmishes of the Battle of Blair Mountain took place. Involving more than 10,000 armed workers battling with state and strikebreaking forces, it was the largest post-Civil War uprising and the largest labor uprising in U.S. history.

The conflict occurred in Logan County, West Virginia as part of the "Coal Wars", a series of early 20th-century labor disputes in Appalachia.

For five days, from late August to early September 1921, some 10,000 armed coal miners confronted 3,000 lawmen and strikebreakers who were backed by coal mine operators during the miners' attempt to unionize the southwestern West Virginia coalfields.

Sometimes the Battle's anniversary is marked as August 31st, when the miners' army clashed with armed forces marshaled by the county sheriff, coal companies, and state police in Logan County.

The battle ended on September 4th after approximately one million rounds had been fired, aerial bombardment of the miners, and the U.S. Army's intervention, acting on orders from President Harding.

Up to 100 people were killed throughout the uprising. 985 miners were indicted for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, accessory to murder, and treason against the state of West Virginia. Though some were acquitted by sympathetic juries, others were imprisoned for several years.

According to the Cultural Landscape Foundation, there has never been a complete archaeological survey of the battlefield. The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum is raising funds to sponsor a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scan of the Nomination Area in order to identify the major zones of historical significance and promote the site's value as a historical park.