In this episode of Mysteries of the Abandoned: Hidden America, we are taken on a journey through history, exploring three distinct stories of abandonment and resilience. The episode, “Banished From Bisbee,” uncovers the dark past of a labor strike in an Arizona mining town, the unique homesteading community of Southern Oklahoma, and the role of a leaning Carolina lighthouse during the Civil War.
The episode, airing on Discovery on Friday April 26, begins with the story of a mass kidnapping and deportation in Bisbee, Arizona. In July 1917, a labor strike by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) led to a tense standoff with the mining company, Phelps Dodge. The company, colluding with the local sheriff, deputized 2,000 men to round up over 1,200 individuals, including striking miners and their supporters. This incident, known as the Bisbee Deportation, resulted in the forced removal of individuals from their homes and their subsequent relocation to New Mexico.
The episode then shifts to Southern Oklahoma, where a unique homesteading community took root in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Drawn by the promise of inexpensive land through the Homestead Act of 1862, settlers filed claims and established homesteads in the region. The show highlights the challenges faced by these pioneers, including the need to turn over the buffalo grass that covered the prairie land. One such homesteader, Mrs. Fairy Travis, recounts her experience living in a dugout with a single glass window for ten years before upgrading to a secondhand Ford.
The episode also explores the history of a leaning Carolina lighthouse, which played a strategic role during the Civil War. Cape Lookout Lighthouse, located on the treacherous Cape Lookout coast of North Carolina, was caught between Union and Confederate forces. Confederate troops attempted to disable the lighthouse, while Union troops worked to keep it lit, recognizing its importance in navigating the dangerous waters. The lighthouse changed hands multiple times during the war, with both sides inflicting damage and making repairs as needed.
Mysteries of the Abandoned: Hidden America airs on the Discovery Channel at 10.01 pm on Friday, April 26, 2024.
