This “Perfect Town” Sparked The Strike That Crippled the Midwest in 1894

Pullman National Historical Park, Illinois

In 1880, railroad tycoon George Pullman built what he thought was the perfect workers’ town outside Chicago. Clean streets, tidy homes, and “happy” employees living in harmony. Then came 1894.

Here’s what happened, preserved as a National Historical Park you can visit today.

George Pullman Creates His Perfect Town

George Pullman had already changed train travel in 1864 with his railroad passenger cars, inspired by canal boats from his childhood. These fancy cars let passengers sleep in real beds instead of sitting up all night while traveling.

Now all that’s left was a place to put everyone he needed to build those railcars.

Pullman thought a beautiful town would attract skilled workers and prevent strikes.

Building the First All-Brick City

Construction moved fast in 1880. Over 100 railroad cars brought supplies weekly to the site. Workers built a brickyard to make materials for what people called the “first all-brick city” in America.

The town had everything residents needed. People shopped at the Arcade Building, worshipped at Greenstone Church, watched shows at theaters, relaxed in parks, stayed at Hotel Florence, and borrowed books from the library.

The Administration Building with its clock tower stood at the center, next to a man-made lake.

Foreman Lee Benson became the first resident on January 1, 1881.

Company Control Over Daily Life

Your job decided where you lived in Pullman. Executives got houses with 12-foot ceilings, foremen had 10-foot ceilings, and regular workers got cramped spaces with 8-foot ceilings.

By 1885, immigrants from Scandinavia, Germany, England, and Ireland lived alongside Americans.

Pullman made his workers pay rent at a six percent profit, making housing cost more than nearby towns.

He banned independent newspapers, stopped public meetings, and sent inspectors into homes to check cleanliness.

Workers complained the company controlled them “from birth to death.”

The 1893 Economic Crash Hits Hard

The Panic of 1893 destroyed businesses nationwide and hit railroads especially hard.

Pullman cut wages by exactly 25 percent but kept paying stockholders their full 8 percent dividend. He also fired 2,000 workers, dropping the workforce from 5,500 to 3,300.

Rent stayed at $14 monthly, taken straight from paychecks before workers saw their money.

Families in Pullman couldn’t buy food because their pay dropped while housing costs stayed the same during the economic crisis.

Workers Fight Back Against Unfair Treatment

By 1894, desperate workers chose representatives to meet with George Pullman about their problems.

He refused to see them and fired every committee member, ending any chance for peaceful talks.

On May 11, 1894, nearly 4,000 factory workers walked off their jobs. The company shut down immediately, posting signs saying “The works are closed until further notice.”

About 35% of Pullman workers belonged to the American Railway Union led by Eugene V. Debs, turning a local dispute into a national crisis.

The Strike Stops Trains Nationwide

The American Railway Union boycotted all trains with Pullman sleeping cars. The action spread across 27 states, involving 125,000 to 250,000 railroad workers in one of America’s biggest labor fights.

Rail traffic west of Chicago stopped completely, hurting businesses throughout the western United States. Mail couldn’t get delivered because postal trains also carried Pullman cars.

Railroad companies united under the General Managers’ Association and refused to negotiate, making it a national emergency.

Federal Troops Crush the Strike

Attorney General Richard Olney, who hated unions, convinced President Grover Cleveland to send federal troops to Chicago even though local police said they had control. Federal soldiers arrived on June 30, 1894.

The military made things violent. On July 7, National Guardsmen shot into a crowd of protesters, killing up to 30 people.

Three days later, police arrested Eugene Debs for breaking a court order. With their leader jailed and facing armed soldiers, the strike collapsed.

The Strike Changes American Labor Forever

Cleveland appointed experts to study what went wrong. Their report blamed George Pullman’s controlling management and called his company town “un-American” because workers had no say in their lives.

The strike led to quick policy changes. On June 28, 1894, Cleveland and Congress created Labor Day as a federal holiday.

In 1898, the Illinois Supreme Court forced Pullman to sell the town, ending company control over worker housing.

George Pullman died of a heart attack on October 19, 1897, at age 66.

Black Workers Organize for Respect

Pullman hired African American men as sleeping car porters but treated them terribly.

White passengers called them racist names, “boy,” or just “George,” like they belonged to George Pullman instead of being real employees.

Despite bad treatment, these jobs mattered because Pullman was the nation’s biggest employer of African Americans, with porters making up 44% of workers.

In 1925, civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters with the motto “Fight or Be Slaves,” creating America’s first African American labor union.

The Brotherhood Wins a Historic Victory

The Brotherhood fought for twelve years before succeeding.

In 1937, they won a major labor agreement with Pullman, becoming the first African American union to get a contract with a big American company.

The NAACP called this a huge step forward for civil rights, proving organized Black workers could challenge powerful companies and win.

This success became a model for future organizing and trained leaders who later fought segregation across the South.

Visiting the Pullman National Historical Park

Located at 610 E. 111th Street in Chicago’s south side, the visitor center sits in the historic Administration Clock Tower Building with exhibits about labor history and civil rights.

The park is open daily 9 AM to 5 PM, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission is completely free.
Read More from This Brand:

• The Mississippi River Town That Survived Economic Collapse to Become a Charming Tourist Haven
• The Ancient Mississippian Capital Where Ceremonial Plazas and Earthworks Still Stand After 1,000 Years
• A Native American Siege Gave This Illinois Canyon Park Its Haunting Name and Rich History