September 2026

Posted by Penny Musco on

PARK NEWS

In honor of Labor Day on Monday, September 7, let’s look at a Park Service location that tells the story of how this federal observance came into being.

     Just outside of Chicago is Pullman National Historical Park. If that name rings a bell, it might be because George Mortimer Pullman designed the first railroad sleeping car, called the Pullman Car. African American men were hired to attend to customers on these “hotels on wheels”, and Pullman porters quickly became known for their exceptional service.

     Pullman later constructed a company town—named for himself—to provide for his employees. The houses came with indoor plumbing, and the town held everything the workers needed—shopping areas, theaters, parks, churches, a library, and a hotel (named after his daughter this time), thirteen hundred buildings in all. In the middle sat a handsome Administration building (at right) and man-made lake.

     Pullman’s stated motivation was the welfare and happiness of his workers, as well as what he considered an answer to poverty. Naturally, he also hoped to make a tidy profit, and nip any labor agitation in the bud. Unsavory establishments such as saloons were not included, another attempt at keeping unrest at bay.

     But trouble came anyway, with the Panic of 1893, which affected Pullman’s business. When demand for his product fell off the following year, he cut jobs and wages, while increasing working hours for those still employed. At the same time, he kept rent and other prices the same in his town.

     Not surprisingly, Pullman workers—many of whom has joined the new and already sizable American Railway Union (ARU), led by Eugene V. Debs—went on strike after negotiations failed. Pullman refused to budge, figuring he could wait out the picketing. But then, the ARU called for a boycott on all Pullman cars.

     The nation’s railroads became severely crippled, and as anger intensified among the striking Pullman workers in the summer of 1894, demonstrations, looting, and damage to property ensued. Six hundred freight cars were burned on July 6. President Grover Cleveland sent in federal troops to take control, which only incited more violence. Shots rang out on July 7, killing several workers and wounding many more.     As nonunion scabs were hired to get interstate commerce moving again, the labor resistance weakened. The Pullman Company reopened August 2, and agreed to rehire strikers if they pledged never to join a union.

     One outcome of the Pullman strike was the creation of the federal Labor Day. While several individual states had designated days to honor workers, it wasn’t yet a nationwide observance. Six days after the strike ended, in an attempt to appease the unions, Congress passed a bill designating the first Monday in September a public holiday, and the legislation was quickly signed by President Cleveland.

National Hispanic American Heritage Month

     September 15–October 15 is National Hispanic American Heritage Month. Why those unusual dates? Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua celebrate the anniversary of their independence on September 15; Mexico and Chile commemorate theirs September 16 and 18, respectively. Columbus Day, or Dia de la Raza, falls within this period as well. The National Park Service has a list of sites relating to the subject.

     One of those places ties into both themes I’ve mentioned—César E. Chávez National Monument in California, which I wrote about briefly in April. While his legacy has been damaged, he is still honored for his work on behalf of overlooked but essential workers—farm laborers. He, along with Dolores Huerta and Larry Itliong, helped started our country’s first permanent agricultural union, the United Farm Workers (UFW).

     The UFW boycotts of California-grown grapes and lettuce in the 1960s-1970s captured national notice. Supporters protested in front of supermarkets across the U.S., and attention was drawn to the dismal circumstances under which farm laborers toiled to provide food for America’s tables. This in turn led to higher wages for the workers, as well as better employment and living conditions. Chávez went on to extend his efforts to other labor and civil right issues, and also environmental concerns.

     His national monument was established in October 2012 by President Obama, who notably used the UFW slogan, “Yes, We Can” (roughly translated in Spanish as “Si, Se Puede”) for his 2008 presidential campaign. The site consists of Chávez’s ranch house—still the UFW’s national headquarters—with displays about his life and work. In the Memorial Garden is his burial plot.

Water--Not Enough and Too Much

 

      You may have read about the dire conditions at Lake Mead, at left, and Lake Powell, below, our country’s two largest reservoirs and part of the Colorado River’s reservoir system. The two lakes “provide water to 40 million people and irrigation for 5 million acres of farmland,” according to NASA’s EarthData. The lake levels are alarmingly low, and a temporary plan by the federal government will make cuts in water usage for Arizona, California, and Nevada.

     What you may not realize is that these lakes are in the Park Service: Lake Mead National Recreation Area straddles Arizona and Nevada, while Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona and Utah includes Lake Powell.

     What the parks and their concessionaires want visitors to know, though, is that while the water levels are changing, water-based recreation opportunities are still available year-round, both at Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

     The Colorado River runs through northern Arizona’s Grand Canyon as well, and you’ve probably heard of the tragic flash flooding through Bright Angel Canyon, pictured below. The Park Service had planned to implement some water restrictions, but now, due to damage to infrastructure resulting in limited water for use in the park, more significant conservation measures are in place on the South Rim. All overnight lodging at hotels is halted until further notice, spigots at the campgrounds are turned off, and all fires are prohibited.

PRIZE-WINNING BOOKS

     The Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, of which I am a member, handed out the 2026 Golden Scroll awards at its annual banquet in August. Here’s a list of all the winners, but let me highlight the ones from my publisher, Elk Lake:

     At Pelican Book Group, which publishes my e-novella, The Christmas Child, Judy Hut’s Regency romance, The Earl’s Ultimatum, has just been released. On September 25, The Wrath of the Mountain King, a fantasy by O. R. Sykora, comes out. And if you’re looking for something free, PBG is offering a prequel to Erin Stevenson’s Under the August Sky, called JoJo’s Transformation. Scroll all the way to the bottom and leave a comment, and you might win one of her other books!

YES, HE CAN!

     César E. Chávez did much for farm laborers and others who lacked power, but there was a limit to what he could do. After he died in 1993, he could do no more. God, on the other hand, has no limits. He lacks nothing (Acts 17:25). He is infinite, eternal, everywhere, sovereign, unchanging, all knowing, and all powerful          (1 Kings, 8:27; Psalm 62:11, 90:2, 139:7-12; James 1:17, Revelation 19:6). For Him, everything is possible (Matthew 19:26). He alone is capable of doing way beyond what we can even ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

     Si, se puede? No, no se puede. ¡Si, el puede! Yes, He can!