Ruddick cheered his comrades with his singing, and the mother of one of the miners later declared "If it wasn't for Maurice, they'd all have been dead.
This was in the Deep South in the time of Jim Crow laws, i.e. strict segregation between black and white people.
When the miners heard this, they were reluctant to accept the offer, but Ruddick agreed to go on the Governor's terms, knowing how much the others really wanted the vacation.
[citation needed] Ruddick, his wife, and the four of his twelve children who accompanied him on the trip all stayed in a separate area of the island, in trailers built by Griffin especially for the occasion, and attended separate ceremonies from the white miners.
[5] A musical written called "Beneath Springhill: The Maurice Ruddick Story" by Beau Dixon with Lyrics and Music by Rob Fortin and Susan Newman was created and played at the 1000 Islands Playhouse in Gananoque, Ontario Canada.