COAL COUNTRY: 6.truck_seat_2.jpg

Doug Shelton, a non-union supervisor drives to check on the condition of a mine during the national bituminous coal strike of 1978 near Norton, VA. He has a pistol on the seat and a rifle below it, while he keeps a close watch on the surrounding steep hillsides for anyone who might shoot at his truck thinking he is intending to work during the strike. He also explained that long-standing personal feuds are often played out and settled under the guise of union-coal company violence. Jon Chase photo
6.truck_seat_2.jpg

Doug Shelton, a non-union supervisor drives to check on the condition of a mine during the national bituminous coal strike of 1978 near Norton, VA. He has a pistol on the seat and a rifle below it, while he keeps a close watch on the surrounding steep hillsides for anyone who might shoot at his truck thinking he is intending to work during the strike. He also explained that long-standing personal feuds are often played out and settled under the guise of union-coal company violence. Jon Chase photo