The Hanna Story​ - Welcome to the Hanna History Website

​This website was last updated: Friday October 4, 2024​
​Created by Bob Leathers: August 1, 2010
-- ​14 years and 2 month of sharing  --
The purpose of this website is to help others connect to their past by collecting, preserving, and sharing historical information about Old Carbon and Hanna, Wyoming. ​​This website is dedicated to identifying and memorializing the men who worked and died in the Hanna Basin coal mines. 
​We invite you to explore how the towns came to be and how they touched the lives of many.
Contact information: Bob at [email protected]
The best way to locate information on this website is to ​use the search box and subject tabs at the top of this page.

Image from the Past

1940: Medicine Bow
Picture
Medicine Bow, Wyoming. 1940. (Library of Congress)

Bulletin Board

  • Comments and documented corrections to this website are welcome.  ​Our goal is to honor the history of Hanna by providing detailed and accurate information. If you spot a possible error needing correction, even a typo, contact Bob at [email protected].​​​
  • This website is the retired then rebranded HannaBasinMuseum.com website. All rights reserved on both websites by Bob Leathers. ​​​​​​
  • The best way to locate information on this website is to ​use the search box and subject tabs at the top of this page.
  • Information, pictures or documents from our readers that are helpful in telling the Hanna story are welcome and encouraged. Contact Bob for details.

New or Updated on the Website

Notification of new or updated material on the website will appear in this space. Notifications will be listed for a limited amount of time. Check back for changes.
September 2024
September 10, 2024
September 4, 2024
September 4, 2024:
  • Updated: Remembering Ward, John Henry - First Coal Miner killed in Hanna, Wyoming. Killed in the No. 1 mine - Buried in Rawlins, Wyoming.​
September 4, 2024:
September 2, 2024:
August 2024
August 19, 2024​
August 15, 2024
August 13, 2024
August 12, 2024:
July 2024
July 17, 2024: 
July 15, 2024:
July 5, 2024:

Something to Think About

  • Life is like a cup of coffee. It's all in how you make it, or how you take it. (Unknown)
  • Don't regret growing older. It's a privilege denied to many. (Mark Twain)
  • Gettin older is all about knowing a guy. A plumbing guy, a roof guy, a tax guy, a lawn guy, etc. (Life Skills)
  • In life it's important to know when to stop arguing with people and simply let them be wrong. (Unknown)
  • Life's biggest tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late. (Benjamin Franklin)
  • A wise man once said. "Be careful who you let on your ship, because some people will sink the whole ship just because they can't be the captain." (Unknown)
  • To know what people really think, pay attention to what they do, rather than what they say. (Rene Descartes)
Today, I'm doing NOTHING because I started doing it yesterday and I'm not finished. And Im certainly not a QUITTER

Images from the Past - Hanna 

Early Hanna, Wyoming
Picture
A DRAWING OF THE HANNA COAL CAMP with Elk Mountain at the top of the picture. The No. 1 mine and No. 1 town on the left and the No. 2 mine on the right and No. 2 town in the center bottom . (SALLY HAFDELL AND DAVID ERIKSSON IN SWEDEN)
Hanna is located in the Hanna Basin in Carbon County, Wyoming. The Hanna Basin includes the Wyoming towns of Hanna and Elmo, which still exist, and the coal camps of Carbon, Sampo and Dana, which are now ghost towns - along with active cemeteries at Hanna and Carbon. The coal camp of Carbon came first in 1868. When the coal ran out at Carbon, the citizens moved, over time, to the new coal fields developed at Hanna in 1889. The town of Carbon is now referred to as Old Carbon by the local citizens.
 
The Hanna Basin coal mines produced over 220 million tons of coal. The coal however, came at a tremendous human cost. A staggering 372 coal miners were killed in the Hanna Basin mines while in the process of mining the coal. 
 
The Hanna Basin mines produced coal for 144 years. Coal production started at Carbon in 1868 and ended in Carbon in 1902, which amounted to 35 years of continuous production. Hanna started coal production in 1890 and ended in 2012, for 122 continuous years of production. The two coal camps overlapped production for 13 years, from 1890 to 1902.

​This website is dedicated to identifying and memorializing the men who worked and died in the Hanna Basin coal mines. In the later years a small number of women worked in and around the mines, but none perished in them.
​
Picture
Early Hanna (Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden)

Image from the Past - Mining 

Boys in the Coal Mine
Picture
(Library of Congress)
8

Image from the Past

Hanna Schools
Picture
Hanna K-12 Main School Building built in 1921 (While Family Collection from Bob Leathers)

Image from the Past - People 

Hanna Basin Death and Burial Records - Alphabetical 

If a person died in a Hanna Basin coal mine, a death record will be listed regardless of where he was buried.

Index

A.   B.    C.   D.   E.    F.    G.   H.    I.    J.    K.    L.   M.    N.    O.    P.    Q.   R.    S.    T.    U.   V.    W.    X.    Y.     Z.
Source Code
​(Inquest) Official Inquest Reports, (MIR) Mine Inspector Reports, (MM) Miner Monuments in Hanna, 
​(Headstone) cemetery headstone, (BL) Bob Leathers, (JB) John Baldwin
(NA) Nancy and Victor Anderson, (LK) Lynne Kuderko, (AR) Andy Ruskanen and (AO) Ayako Ohara,
(UPCCEM) Union Pacific Coal Company Employee's Magazine
The Hanna Basin includes the towns of Hanna and Elmo, which still exist, along with the coal camps of Carbon, Dana and Sampo, which are now ghost towns. 
More at: List of the 372 Men Killed in the Hanna Basin Coal Mines
More at:  ​Men Injured in the Hanna Mines
More at: Index to State of Wyoming Coal Mining Deaths and Injuries from 1869 - 1973

Hanna Monuments

Looking for a deceased veteran or coal miner? Check the names on the Hanna monuments.

Union Pacific Coal Company Employee Magazines

The Union Pacific Coal Company Employes' Magazines are full of coal company news - including a section on Hanna Monthly News - along with news from other towns in the Union Pacific Coal Company network of towns and mines. Many of the coal miner deaths and injuries are reported in the magazines. The magazines are available online at the link below. They are a great source of information about what was going on with Hanna families at the time when the Union Pacific Coal Company was operating in Hanna, Wyoming.
In January, 1924, the Employes' Magazine of The Union Pacific Coal Company and its subsidiary, the Washington Union Coal Company, was launched as a medium of good will and understanding, with the further hope that as the years passed, much of the life and color of the pioneer days might be put into print and thus saved. With this end in mind stories and sketches, together with many old photographs, were assembled and re-produced, and it is this material, together with certain widely scattered and fragmentary records, as well as many interviews with the men and women who lived and worked in and about the mines in the early days, that served as the foundation of this little history. (History of the Union Pacific Mines. 1868-1940)
The Employes' Magazine is a monthly publication devoted to the interests of the employees of the Union Pacific Coal Company and Washington Union Coal Company and their families. It will contain items of current news, personal notes about employees and their families, together with articles dealing with the coal mining industry, the personal safety of the men engaged in mining a first consideration. (Atlanta E. Hecker, Editor)

The Hanna Miner - A Slideshow

Slideshow by Bob Leathers
Music by The O'Neill Brothers Group - Instrumental Country Guitar: Coal Miner's Daughter
Available only at HannaHistory.com

Wyoming Museums

There are some amazing museums in Wyoming. Check them out.
Hanna Basin Museum - Hanna, Wyoming
  • ​​A small, but nice museum located on Front Street in Hanna. No entry fee required - donations were acceptable. Picture taking was allowed – no restrictions. The staff was knowledgeable, courteous and helpful. A collection of artifacts was offered that represented and explained the area’s history, which centered around the town and  coal mining. The exhibits were interesting and well-presented. Recommended.
Medicine Bow Museum ​- Medicine Bow, Wyoming
  • Another small, but nice museum located on the Lincoln Highway. No entry fee was required - donations were acceptable. Picture taking was allowed – no restrictions. The staff was knowledgeable, courteous and helpful. A collection of artifacts was offered that represented and explained the area’s history, which centered around the railroad and agriculture. The exhibits were interesting and well-presented. Recommended.
 Rock Springs Historical Museum - Rock Springs, Wyoming
  • An excellent medium size museum. No entry fee was required, but donations were acceptable. Picture taking inside the museum was not allowed, but the rule was under review. The staff was knowledgeable, courteous and helpful. A large collection of artifacts was offered that represented and explained the area’s history which centered around coal mining. The exhibits were interesting and well-presented. Recommended.
National Museum of Military Vehicles - Dubois, Wyoming
  • A world class museum. A very large museum that literally takes days to cover. A nominal entry fee is required. Tours are available or you make go on your own. Picture taking is allowed. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. It is a national museum. By far the largest in Wyoming. Highly recommended.
Pioneer Memorial Museum - Douglas, Wyoming
  • An excellent medium size museum. No entry fee was required, but donations were acceptable. Picture taking was allowed – no restrictions. The staff was knowledgeable, courteous and helpful. A solid collection of artifacts was offered that represented and explained the area’s history which centered around agriculture and western living. The exhibits were interesting and well-presented. Recommended.
Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum - Buffalo, Wyoming 
  • The Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum is an excellent medium size American West museum in Buffalo, Wyoming, housed in a 1909 Carnegie Library building. Opened in 1909. A Blue Star Museum, which means they are connected to the National Endowment of the Arts. Entry fee required. No photos allowed. Great staff. Highly recommend. 
Fremont County Pioneer Museum - Lander, Wyoming
  • The Fremont County Pioneer Museum is an excellent larger size museum. No entry fee was required, but donations were acceptable. Pictures were allowed – no restrictions except for one small section of Indian art work. The staff was knowledgeable, courteous and helpful. A solid collection of artifacts was offered that represented and explained the area’s history which centered around agriculture and western living. The exhibits were interesting and well-presented. It had a large section of outside buildings and exhibits. Highly recommend. ​.
Hot Springs County Museum - Thermopolis, Wyoming
  • The Hot Springs County Museum is a very good medium size museum. There is a modest entry fee and donations are accepted. The museum features Pioneer and Outlaw history with the main attraction being the Hole in the Wall Gang. It has excellent displays of Native American artifacts, military and railroad history along with local businesses and schools. Recommended.
The Rockpile Museum - Gillette, Wyoming​​
  • The Rockpile is a nice medium size local history museum in Gillette, Wyoming. The museum had on display fossils, Native American items, weapons and many local artifacts. A good, medium size museum. An entry fee was required. Picture taking was allowed – no restrictions. The staff was knowledgeable, courteous and helpful. A collection of artifacts was offered that represented and explained the area’s history, which centered around coal mining and agriculture. The exhibits were varied, interesting and well-presented. Recommended.
Douglas Railroad Interpretive Museum at Locomotive Park - Douglas, Wyoming
  • ​A small, but nice outdoor museum centered on the railroad. The indoor museum was not open at the time of our visit. Recommended.
Chris LeDoux Park - Kaycee, Wyoming
  • Chris LeDoux Park is a beautiful, well maintained park with a Memorial Statue to Chris LeDoux the famous Country and Western singer and Bronc Rider. Admission is free. 
Museum of the Mountain Man - Pinedale, Wyoming
  • The Museum of the Mountain Man is located in Pinedale, Wyoming. It is a wonderful museum dedicated to the history of the Rocky Mountain fur trade. There is a modest entry fee. Pictures are allowed.
 Sweetwater County Historical Museum - Green River, Wyoming
  • The Sweetwater County Historical Museum is located in Green River, Wyoming. It is a free admission museum. Pictures of exhibits are allowed. The museum is small, but the staff is knowledgeable and helpful. 
The Wyoming State Penitentiary. 1901 - 1981 - Rawlins, Wyoming
  • ​The Wyoming State Penitentiary is located in Rawlins Wyoming. It is a for pay museum that requires a tour. Pictures with no flash is allowed. 
Ten Sleep Museum - Ten Sleep, Wyoming
  • The Ten Sleep Pioneer Museum is a small, but very nice museum. It is located at 436 Second Street in Ten Sleep, Wyoming. Entry is free. Pictures are allowed. It is still a growing museum with multiple buildings to visit. Well worth the time to visit.
Fort Fred Steele - Fort Steele, Wyoming 
  • Fort Fred Steele is a State of Wyoming Historic Site located at Fort Steele, Wyoming. The fort was established June 30, 1868 and was abandoned August 7, 1886. The forts purpose was to guarded the men building the Union Pacific Railroad across southern Wyoming. The historical site is located west of Hanna, Wyoming just off I-80 a few miles east of Sinclair, Wyoming. It is an open access area with multiple buildings on the site to visit. Pictures are allowed. Access is free.
This is a developing list. Check back for updates.

Life after Coal Mining - Wyoming Sights

Welcome  -  Old Carbon  -  Hanna / Elmo  -  People  -  Schools  -  Railroad  -  Gallery  -  Notebook

Website Guidelines

  • All rights are reserved on this website.  Individuals wishing to use documents or images from this website must first receive written permission - contact Bob at [email protected]​
  • ​Our goal is to honor the history of Hanna by providing detailed and accurate information.
  • We welcome comments and documented corrections to the content on this website. 
  • We also welcome any pictures, documents or information from our readers that might be helpful in our telling the Hanna story. 
  • Sources all over the world send information, documents and images to this website for its use. If you think you are the copyright owner and believe this website has not properly attributed your work to you or has used it without permission, please contact us. We welcome the reporting of any possible copyright infringements. Every effort will be made to correct all copyright conflicts that may arise.