Work continues on an important contribution to the chronicled history of our state and our nation. Produced and directed by New Mexico Italians, Fulvio Ottaviano and Claudio Ruben, Canaries in a Coalmine, will be an hour-long documentary telling the story of the 1913 mining disaster in Dawson, NM.

The second worst mining disaster in US history, it took the lives of 261 workers, most of them Italian immigrants. "Ultimately, this is the story of all immigrants who came to America seeking a better life, then and now," wrote Claudio in a recent email. "It's a universal story, the story of all mankind from the beginning of time." Just last month, the two film-makers rolled out their website. Watch the teaser clip at http://www.dawsondocumentary.org/#!teaser-1/c1l0x

Note the call to action on the Contact page. If you, or someone you know, has ancestors, stories or other information about Dawson at that time, Fulvio and Claudio want to hear from you. Dawson produced 30% of our nation's coal in the early 1900s. Without the hard work and sacrifice of Dawson's miners, our economy would not have grown the way it did. Help film-makers Fulvio and Claudio tell the story of Italians in the Southwest who contributed significantly to the building of our nation. READ MORE

Source: Italian Consular correspondent in New Mexico