Joe Hill is largely remembered as a martyr to the labor movement cause. An active member of the Industrial Workers of the World, he was eventually tried and convicted for the murder of a Salt Lake City shopkeeper. However, his guilt was construed through largely circumstantial evidence, as opposed to proof. His conviction and eventual execution became a powerful symbol for the workers' movement, and thousands wrote letters in his support—including Helen Keller who urged the President to offer him a second trial.

The main content of this website is an account of Joe Hill's life and trial as written by Professor Ron Yengich and his students at the University of Utah. Additional resources include audio recordings of songs written by Joe Hill, including "Casey Jones"; a 1911 map of Salt Lake City with important locations marked; the official U.S.C. appeal; transcriptions of newspaper articles (including images) related to the case; and both historical and modern images of people and locations important to the trial. Note that while it is not particularly graphic, there is an image of Joe Hill after his execution in the gallery.

You can also peruse student papers on a variety of legal topics, although links to student PowerPoints on other legal cases are not working.