Centralia Massacre (Washington)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Centralia Massacre was a violent and bloody incident that occurred in the town of Centralia, Washington on November 11, 1919 during a parade celebrating the first anniversary of Armistice Day. This conflict between the American Legion and workers who were members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) - also called the "Wobblies" - labor union, resulted in six deaths, additional wounded, multiple prison terms, and an ongoing and especially bitter dispute over the motivations, timeline, and events that precipitated the massacre. It was the culmination of several years of bad blood between the local Legion and the IWW. Both Centralia and the neighboring town of Chehalis had a large number of World War I veterans, with robust chapters of the Legion, as well as a large number of IWW members, some also war veterans.