Published by the Lumber Workers Industrial Union #500 - IWW; Seattle, Washington - 1920
James Rowan began organizing in the Lumber Industry
for the IWW as early as 1916, witnessed the Everett Massacre, and
became involved in the great IWW LWIU organizing campaigns from
1917-23. During this time he became to be known as the "Jesus of
the Lumberjacks".
Unfortunately, post World War I defeats and factional disputes led to James Rowan leading a splinter faction called the "Emergency Program" (or "E.P.") which ultimately failed. The "E.P." died out around 1930. James Rowan was quite possibly its last remaining member.
Before this disastrous split, however, Fellow Worker Rowan's efforts contributed to and documented the success of the LWIU 120 (then known as LWIU 500).
The following represents the complete, unabridged edition of James Rowan's Sixty-One Page account of the (then) short but colorful history of the IWW in the Lumber Industry of the American Pacific Northwest from 1907-20.
