Railroads being perhaps the largest and most important industry in the land over 100 years ago, it was cheaper to buy the US Attorney General and easier to influence President Cleveland to send in troops than to reinstate wages for the 250,000 striking Pullman railroad workers. The leader of the strike, Eugene Debs, was thrown in jail and emerged as a Socialist. On the plus side, we got Labor Day.

The feudal administration building above was center to a huge company town, with dozens of blocks of row houses, hotels, cafes, wheelhouse, stable, church, hospital and fire station. The neighborhood has suffered more than its share of fires, including the right wing of the building above, but this new park is rebuilding and revitalizing this fascinating area. The Florence Hotel is still closed for restoration, and some of the partner museums are only on weekends in spring. There were some tours going on, but I found no information about them in the visitor center above. Walking the row houses is worth the effort, as many are still lived in and well-loved today.