Art and history share a special bond.

Many of history’s biggest, tragic and most significant events have been depicted in various works of art.

One of Colorado’s most poignant and sad events will serve as the backdrop in “Ludlow ... Love, Labor, Loss,” a new musical produced by Kennedy Pugh, Ed Hill and Dianne Brooks, and directed by Rosina Sonntag.

The musical will hit the stage at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. June 29 and at 2 p.m. on June 30 at El Pueblo History Museum, 301 N. Union Ave.

“Ludlow … Love, Labor, Loss” is a love story set during the Ludlow coal miners strike and the Ludlow Massacre.

“It’s fictional history,” Pugh said. “It’s set around the Ludlow Massacre and there’s some fictional characters. It’s sort of like ‘Les Miserables.’”

Pugh is a performing artist and Pueblo native who has appeared on television series, toured with the musical “Hair” in Europe and last year produced the documentary play “SEVEN.” He is now part of the faculty at The Arts Academy at Pueblo County High School.

The musical’s producer came up with the idea of a musical surrounding the tragedy, but with Pueblo ties.

Pueblo organizations, like Gus’ Tavern and Pueblo’s Greek Orthodox Church, were woven into the plot by writer Brooks. Hill wrote the music for the production.

The story is not just based on the trials and tribulations within the love story, but also the conflict between the coal miner’s labor union and the companies for which they worked.

“I wanted to use the arts to tell a story of struggle that also recognizes our own humanity,” Pugh said. “I wanted to tell a story about what happened with the corporations and the union.”

In 1913 coal miners working for C.F. and I, Rocky Mountain Fuel Company and Victor-American Fuel Company went on strike to demand better wages, working conditions and benefits for their families.

As a result, the companies evicted the workers and their families out of company-owned homes. This resulted in the formation of tent colonies all over Southern Colorado. One such colony was Ludlow, located in Las Animas County near Trinidad.

As the strike went on, tensions grew. Those tensions escalated on April 20, 1914.

“It was a pretty acrimonious strike,” said Zach Werkowitch, community relations manager at El Pueblo History Museum. “In April, things heated up and the company guards and the state National Guard attacked the miners at Ludlow.”

More than 20 women and children were killed in the incident.

Since then, the massacre has played a significant role in labor in America and the region.

“This was a big moment in American labor relations,” Werkowitch said. “Here in Southern Colorado, C.F. and I implemented the Rockefeller plan which was basically like a company controlled union to try to pacify the miners and steelworkers here.

"There were incremental changes, but nothing really groundbreaking for working families.”

Labor relations is still a central theme to American industries, which is why the musical and exhibits at El Pueblo, such as “Children of Ludlow,” are important for the public to see.

Though less violent, similar struggles between workers and employers are ongoing throughout the country.

“One of the main things that resonates for me, is that these people (in Ludlow) were sticking up for their families and trying to make their lives better for themselves and their families,” Werkowitch said. “The same things are happening now, though less violently and somewhat less confrontational. These struggles to make a better future for our kids are still on going.”

Werkowitch, like Pugh, said he believes that art and history go hand-in-hand.

Pugh has worked with the museum several times, including staging “SEVEN” several times last spring.

At El Pueblo History Museum, the partnership between art and history is more than welcomed.

“The arts are another great way to reach people,” Werkowitch said. “Lots of people will come through and see an exhibit and read every line of text. But lots of people don't do that at all.

“Art is just another for people to connect with these stories and the stories that tell us who we are.”

Tickets to “Ludlow … Love, Labor, Loss” are free and can be picked up at El Pueblo History Museum.

The museum’s hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, visit historycolorado.org/el-pueblo-history-museum.

LLyons@chieftain.com

@luke_lyons14