Tag: Boston Garden

The Boston Cowboy Strike (episode 313)

In this episode, we explore the 1936 Boston cowboy strike, a one-day wildcat strike that became the founding moment for a labor union that still exists today. Staged by an organization that became known as the Cowboy Turtle Association at the old Boston Garden, this was the first rodeo strike in the world. While I call it a cowboy strike, cowgirls were an important feature of this particular rodeo, and the union’s longterm success is due in no small part to the wife of a champion cowboy. Why was a cowboy union formed in Boston, of all places? And how did it get the name Cowboy Turtle Association? Listen now!

Hat tip to listener Sam S for suggesting this week’s topic!

Continue reading The Boston Cowboy Strike (episode 313)

The Valentines Day Blizzard (episode 242)

During a legendary New England blizzard, trains and trolleys ground to a halt in Boston, stranding commuters at South and North Station.  Thousands of drivers were forced to abandon their cars in the middle of traffic and just walk away in search of shelter.  Dozens of people were killed in the storm.  Much as it may sound like the great blizzard of 1978, or even a typical Monday in February 2015, this week’s show is actually about the Valentine’s Day blizzard of 1940 that hit Boston without warning and left chaos in its wake.


Continue reading The Valentines Day Blizzard (episode 242)

Boston’s Rock n Roll Riots (episode 149)

Boston has never needed much of an excuse to riot.  Over almost four centuries, we’ve had political riots, racist and xenophobic riots, and plenty riots that seem to be about nothing at all.  Of all the things Bostonians could choose to riot over, a rock and roll show might just be the most frivolous of all.  And yet Boston, like many other cities, has a rich history of riots and near-riots at rock concerts.  If you take enough excited young people and pack them into a tight enough space, with with enough hormones (and quite possibly booze or drugs) coursing through their veins, it doesn’t take much of a spark to set off the powderkeg.  From Chuck Berry to Led Zeppelin, and from the Rolling Stones to Green Day, we’re looking into the causes and consequences of some of the most iconic melees in Boston’s rock and roll history.


Continue reading Boston’s Rock n Roll Riots (episode 149)