Lumley, Ralph, 1876-1969

Ralph Lumley was a lifelong resident of Red Lodge. (Carbon County) Montana, where he worked as a coal miner from the age of 12 until he was 65. His father, Raddley Lumley, moved the family from Kalo, Iowa to Red Lodge in 1880 where he was employed as a coal miner. Settling Ralph, his mother, two sisters, and a brother in a log cabin, Raddley continued working at the Rocky Fork Coal Company and secured a job for Ralph. After his father's death, Ralph continued working for the company until his retirement, but he continued to pay dues to the United Mine Workers of America for the rest of his life. An amateur musician, Lumley composed several works of music that were never published but received some local performances in Red Lodge, Miles City, and other Montana towns.

From the guide to the Ralph Lumley Oral History Interview, 1964 August 14, (Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections)

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