The story of a remarkable and inspiring labor revolt—told through a dynamic graphic novel

Timber Rattlers unearths the incredible saga of the Brotherhood of Timber Workers, a union that took on the lumber barons of western Louisiana and East Texas in the early 1900s. At the time, the South produced more timber than anywhere else in the country, with sawmills churning through hundreds of acres of the old-growth forest every day. These lumber operations employed more people in the region than any other industry—people who were overworked, underpaid, exposed to dangerous conditions at work and poor sanitation at home, and had little recourse against the near-feudal authority of their bosses. Enter the Brotherhood, which recruited members of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, men and women, and even farmers and small business owners who had common cause with the timber workers. About half the membership was Black, making the union a dire threat to the Jim Crow order of the day. The stakes became a matter of national interest when the Brotherhood voted to affiliate with the Industrial Workers of the World in 1912.

The feud between the workers and the sawmill operators involved strikes, espionage, covert bargaining, sabotage, vigilante violence, and a dramatic murder trial that captured national attention. At its core, the story of the BTW is about a diverse group of working-class people who put their lives on the line for each other. Through breathtaking illustration and storytelling, this book examines a forgotten chapter of Louisiana history at the crossroads of race, class, gender, the environment, and power in the Deep South.

Distributed for the Historic New Orleans Collection