THE HANNA MINER: At the Bottom of the Mine

1868 - 2021: Carbon History
Aka: Old Carbon and Carbon City

Bob Leathers’ Notebook
Last ​Revised October 20, 2021

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CARBON, WYOMING ABOUT 1875 (WHILE FAMILY COLLECTION FROM BOB LEATHERS)

The Coal Camp at Carbon, Wyoming was located in the wide-open spaces. Lots of sagebrush and grass, with few trees for miles around. 

The Days of 1867: How Coal Was First Discovered Along the Line of the Union Pacific Railroad

The following letter, addressed to Mr. F. C. Gillispie, now representing the Carbon Coal Company at Portland, Ore., came to the surface when the offices were relocated in Rock Springs in February 1927. The boys in blue, made up in 1867 of men from every walk of life, just as they are today, performed many services for General Dodge and the men who built the first transcontinental railway. Soldier Dippel’s letter represents a distinct contribution to the history of the coal mining industry of Wyoming. 
​
Milwaukee, Oregon R. D. No. 1,
November 2, 1915.
Mr. F. C. Gillispie, General Agent,
Union Pacific Coal Company,
Portland, Oregon.
 
Dear Sir:

Agreeable to your request, I herewith give you the facts in brief, relating to the first known discovery of coal along the land grant near to the then survey of the Union Pacific Railroad.

The writer was a member of “B” Company of the 30th U. S. Infantry, Col. Chas. G. Bartlett, Commanding Officer. In the spring of 1867, while chasing after Sioux Indians in the vicinity of Rock Creek, our command made camp, and while a party was gathering sagebrush one of our men, Bartholomew Foley, a miner, brought in large pieces of surface coal, the outcropping of a fine vein, as we discovered by the use of picks and shovels. Our captain caused sacks to be filled, which we took to our Headquarters Camp at Fort Fred Steel, and a sack of the coal was sent to Omaha to the head office of the Railroad Company. Fort Fred Steel was at that time not named; our command was encamped in the vicinity of where that post was afterwards built by the same command.

The writer was informed that the Railroad Company sent its agent to see Mr. Foley, who was detailed to show the discovery he had made. He was soon discharged and now employed by the Railroad Company, I was informed.

Later on in 1868, while scouting on the Clear Creek, we found much coal along its banks, great veins of black rock we first thought, until on closer examination we found it to be coal. We drove our wagons up to the vein and picked the coal into the wagon bed. 

Very truly yours,
August Dippel. 
​
​(UPCCEM, March 1927)

• Over the years there were 7 underground coal mines in Carbon. 

1869 - 1881: 

• ​Notes: Union Pacific's Carbon No. 1 Underground Min​​e at Carbon, Wyoming

1869 -1900: 

• Notes: Union Pacific's Carbon No. 2 Underground Mine at Carbon, Wyoming

​​1869 -1869: 

• Notes: Union Pacific's Carbon No. 3 Underground Mine ​at Carbon, Wyoming

1869 - 1869: 

• Notes: Union Pacific's Carbon No. 4 Underground Mine at Carbon, Wyoming  

1880 -1885: 

• Notes: Union Pacific's Carbon No. 5 Underground Mine ​at Carbon, Wyoming

1880 - 1890: 

• Notes: Union Pacific's Carbon No. 6 Underground Mine ​​​at Carbon, Wyoming​​​​

1889 - 1902: 

• ​Notes: Union Pacific Coal Company's Carbon No. 7 Underground Mine at Carbon, Wyoming

​1868
In the News

• June 30, 1868: The Union Pacific Railroad arrived in Carbon. Coal was now needed in great quantities to run the steam engines up and down the track. The great coal rush was on.
• July 21, 1868: Construction of the Union Pacific Railroad was completed to Fort Steele.
• July 25, 1868: The United States Congress created the Wyoming Territor
• The Union Pacific Railway’s No. 1 and No. 2 mines in Carbon were opened for coal production. 
• The Union Pacific Railway’s No. 3 and No. 4 mines in Carbon were under development, but they were test mines and the only coal produced was an amount sufficient to prove the quality of the coal seam. 

​Carbon Miner

​In the first year of production, the Carbon mines produced a total of 6,560 tons of coal in 1868. (UPCM)

Carbon was the first coal mining town established in the Wyoming Territory.

With the advent of the Union Pacific Railroad, there came into being the one-time busy and bustling town of Carbon, Wyoming. Nestling at the foot of the Saddle Back foothills, twenty miles west of the town of Medicine Bow, forty miles east of the city of Rawlins, and eleven miles southeast of the present town of Hanna, her population of a thousand souls enjoyed life by toiling in the mines, practicing that Christian teaching of self-sacrifice and devotion to their fellow man. Carbon first came into history in the year 1868, when with the construction of the railroad, Thomas Wardell, Mike Quealy and William Hinton, of Bevier, Missouri, and their associates entered into an agreement with the Union Pacific Railroad Company, whereby they acquired permission to open and develop the coal mines on the land controlled by the railroad, which work progressed under the management of John Tompkins as Mine Superintendent, under the direction of Thomas Wardell.  In the year 1869, Tompkins was replaced by James Williams, who was in charge as Mine Superintendent until the year 1873, at which time he was replaced by William Robinson, who filled the position until the year 1878. In 1868, Mike Quealy and William Hinton moved farther west to Rock Springs field, and the Carbon operations were left in the hands of Charles Wardell, brother of Thomas and John Wardell. (T. H. Butler's History of Carbon)

Carbon No. 1 Mine was operated by a shaft approximately eighty feet in depth. Coal chutes for coaling the railroad locomotives were built in connection with the tipple, so that pit cars were taken off the cage and the coal dumped directly into the pockets, thus making the one handling the pit cars suffice for all purposes. This mine operated from the year 1868 until the year 1881, at which time it was abandoned on account of all marketable coal having been recovered. (T. H. Butler's History of Carbon)

John A. Creighton of Omaha, Nebraska opened Carbon No. 2 mine in the year 1868; it later came into the hands of Thomas Wardell. This mine was originally opened by a drift running level for a distance of several hundred feet, on the strike of the seam, and connected with a slope driven on the pitch of the seam, coal being hauled by mules one car at a time from the workings to the drift, from which point it was then taken by mule power to the tipple. Later a steam hoist was installed at the point of intersection of drift and slope, and the one car trip haul was eliminated. Later again a new opening was made on the pitch of the seam and a new tipple built. Also, a boiler house and boilers were installed, all of which eliminated the mule haulage to the surface. This mine was in operation from the year 1868 until the year 1900, when it was abandoned on account of all marketable coal available having been recovered. (T. H. Butler's History of Carbon)

1869
 In the News

• March 17, 1869: The post office opened in Carbon, Wyoming Territory.

• May 10, 1869: The transcontinental railroad was completed. The presidents of the Central and Pacific railroads met in Promontory, Utah and drove a ceremonial last spike into the rail line that connected their railroads.
• October 12, 1869: The first territorial legislature convened in Cheyenne.
• December 10, 1869: The Wyoming's territorial legislature granted Wyoming women the right to vote and hold office. Governor A. J. Campbell signed the act into law.

 
Carbon Miner
 
There was one fatality in the mines. 

1. John Jones was killed April 1869 in a Carbon coal mine cave in. He was 30 years old. His burial place is unknown. It is not known in which Carbon mine he was killed. (Anderson) 

John Jones was the first documented death in the Hanna Basin mines. ​

CARBON NO. 1 MINE (WHILE FAMILY COLLECTION FROM BOB LEATHERS)

James Williams was Mine Superintendent of the Carbon mines from 1869 to 1873. (T. H. Butler's History of Carbon)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 30,483 tons of coal in 1869. (UPCM)

1870
In the News

• The population of Wyoming was 9,118 people; Carbon County had 1,368 of those and the town of Carbon about 200.
• February 17, 1870: Ester Hobart Morris of South Pass City was the first woman in Wyoming to be appointed Justice of the Peace.
• March 7, 1870: The first all-woman jury was used in Laramie, Wyoming.
• In 1870: Martha Atkinson of Albany County was appointed the first woman bailiff in the world.
• March 30, 1879: The 15th Amendment, granting African American men the right to vote, was formally adopted into the U. S. Constitution. 

 
Carbon Miner
 
One man was killed in the mines.

Jacob Harris [Jacob Morris], age 26, was killed in a Carbon mine in March 1870. He lost his life when he fell down a mine shaft. It is not known where he was buried. It is not known in which Carbon mine he was killed. (Anderson)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 54,915 tons of coal in 1870. (UPCM)

It was reported the Carbon No. 1 Mine exploded and the mine was a loss.

December 20, 1870. News was received here Monday of the most unfortunate occurrences, at the Carbon coal mines, where are located large and valuable mines of this useful mineral. A poor man discovered these mines, who sold them for an inconsiderable sum, to the Wyoming Coal Company, which upon the completion of the railroad to that point, at once entered upon their active development. Under Superintendent Thomas Wardell, Esq., the mines have been put in fine working condition, and the chief supply of coal for the use of the Union Pacific company has been drawn from there. The coal has been found of very superior merits for locomotive use and is quite generally thought to exceed in value any other bituminous coal in the world for steam generation. For some time past, an accidental fire has been smoldering in one of the abandoned chambers of the mine. On Saturday night, and Sunday morning, two explosions took place, but without loss of life. The excavation of coal continued afterwards in one of the chambers, when at noon on Sunday, a terrific explosion occurred, tearing down a large portion of the wall of the main shaft, which is directly alongside the Union Pacific track. All the mules in the mine were killed, and it is believed one man perished. Others may have been in the mine, but this is as yet uncertain. Quite a little village, comprising of the railroad station, company houses, the coal depots and engine houses, and the abodes of miners’ families and others, constitute the town of Carbon, which is situated immediately over the mines. The last explosion yesterday thoroughly awakened the citizens to the fact that they were over a slumbering volcano, further explosions from which might be attended with dire consequences to life and limb. The mines at this point are not deep, being at an average of fifty feet from the surface. Accordingly, citizens are leaving town, and hopes of quenching the fire have been given up. The mines yesterday were burning furiously, and to those who are familiar with excess of volatile matter in the coal of that locality, some idea can be formed of the dangers of a residence immediately over the burning mass. All the available force in the employ of the railroad company on the Laramie division has been sent to Carbon to aid in filling up the shafts and entrances to the mines, in the hope of quenching the fire. This will probably be fruitless work, and the entire abandonment of the most valuable mine in Wyoming will be necessary. The same vein, however, can be opened and worked at a more remote point, with fair prospect of securing good coal, but at a large expense for new works which are thus necessary. (Cheyenne Daily Leader, Dec. 20, 1870)

December 20, 1870, Special. The Carbon mines are yet burning. The railroad track has to be built around the mines. The report this morning is that houses there are beginning to sink into the burning mass. (Cheyenne Daily Leader, Dec. 20, 1870)

1871
In the News

• October 8, 1871: A two-day fire burned a four mile-long and one-mile-wide swath of downtown Chicago, Illinois. It was termed the Great Fire of Chicago.
• Coal miners in Carbon and Rock Springs organized the first labor union in Wyoming, the Knights of Labor.
• The first labor strike in Wyoming was conducted in Carbon. The miners went on strike when the coal mine operators cut their pay in order to cut costs of production. The strike was unsuccessful for the miners. The company, with the help of federal troops from Fort Steele, fired the striking miners and replaced them mostly with immigrant labor, but did not hire the Chinese people.

 
Carbon Miner
 
One man was killed in the mines.

1. Frank Kelly, age unknown, was killed February 1871, in a Carbon mine. He was buried in the Carbon cemetery in a marked grave. It is not known in which Carbon mine he was killed. (Anderson)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 31,748 tons of coal in 1871. (UPCM)

Carbon miners and their families experienced some difficult living conditions. Many lived in dugouts that were dug into the hillsides or homes built with walls of rock and mud.

Water was hauled from Medicine Bow in tank cars and emptied into a town cistern, where it could be fetched by bucket or barrel for household uses. For a payment of twenty-five-cents a barrel the water would be delivered to the dwelling. (Kinnaman, Carbon)

ILLUSTRATION OF HOUSING IN CARBON BY M. D. HOUGHTON (HANNA BASIN MUSEUM)

1872
In the News

• May 1, 1872: Yellowstone National Park was created.

 
Carbon Miner
 
One miner was killed in the mines.

1. John Vollmert [John Vollmart], a German carpenter, was killed December 14, 1872, in one of the Carbon mines. The cage crushed him to death. He was buried in the Carbon cemetery in an unmarked grave. (Anderson) (Kinnaman)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 59,237 tons of coal in 1872. (UPCM)

​1873
In the News

• October 27, 1873:  Joseph Glidden received a patent for barbed wire, a new wire with sharp barbs that would significantly change the cattle industry in the western United States.
• The Methodist church was built in Carbon on the south side of the tracks.

 
Carbon Miner
 
There were no fatalities in the mines.

The miners at Carbon went on strike the last of November 1873 because they were required to purchase at the high-priced company store. The company discharged any miner who bought goods elsewhere than the company store. The company was accused of hiring double the men, giving each man half work so that all the pay would be spent at the company store. Miners were also discharged for having anything to do with a union. The miners were also demanding the discharge of the pit foreman and superintendent. (Kinnaman, Carbon)

William Robinson was the Carbon Mine Superintendent from 1873 to 1878. (T. H. Butler's History of Carbon)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 61,164 tons of coal in 1873. (UPCM)

UNION PACIFIC COAL COMPANY’S STORE IN CARBON. THE STORE WOULD EVENTUALLY BE MOVED FROM CARBON TO HANNA (WHILE FAMILY COLLECTION FROM BOB LEATHERS)

1874
In the New
​

• The Union Pacific Railroad took back operation of the mines in Carbon from the independent contractors and established the Union Pacific Railway Company to run the mines.
• The Union Pacific Railway Company in Carbon was created out of a need for cheaper coal.
• A new school was being built in Carbon.

 
Carbon Miner
 
Four miners were killed in the mines.

1. Asmus Boisen, was killed in the Carbon No. 1 mine in 1874. He was buried in the Carbon cemetery in an unmarked grave. (Anderson)

1. Morris Daley, was killed in the Carbon No. 1 mine on April 16, 1874. He fell down a mine shaft. His burial place is unknown. (Anderson)

1. Johnnie Mack, was killed in the Carbon No. 1 mine in Carbon in 1874. His burial place is unknown. (Anderson)

1. W. N. Nelson, was killed on January 5, 1874, in a Carbon coal mine. He was buried in Laramie in a marked grave. The mine he was killed in is unknown. (Anderson)

Carbon led the state in coal production until 1874. The Carbon mines produced a total of 55,880 tons of coal in 1874, but Rock Springs, for the first time, produced more coal than Carbon with 58,476 tons. Carbon would never again gain the top spot in coal production.

In the year 1874, the railroad company feeling that the developing of the mines was not progressing fast enough and the country needed more and cheaper coal, organized the Union Pacific Railway Company. The entire operations were taken over by them, with the exception of the store, which remained in control of Thomas Wardell for several years after the transfer of the mines was made. Later the stores were taken over and conducted by Beckwith and Quinn, and later by Beckwith Commercial Company, and finally by the Union Pacific Coal Company, by whom it was operated until the town closed. (T. H. Butler's History of Carbon)

1875
In the News

• December 2, 1875: A labor strike was settled at Rock Springs and Carbon.

 
Carbon Miner
 
Two miners were killed in the mines.

1. William Isaac (William Isaacs) was killed in the Union Pacific's No. 1 mine in Carbon in 1875 from a cave-in. He was buried in the Carbon cemetery in a marked grave. (Anderson) (Kinnaman)

1. Martin Kain (Martin Cain) was killed in the Union Pacific's No. 1 mine in Carbon in 1875 from a cave-in. He was buried in the Carbon cemetery in an unmarked grave. (Anderson) (Kinnaman)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 61,750 tons of coal in 1875. (UPCM)

 Carbon miners called for a strike.

A miner strike was just settled in February, but a strike was called for again in November. The strikers lost the strike and were paid off in full and offered free rides to Omaha. The miners refused to accept a penny decrease. Ray Gould, the new chairman of the board of the Union Pacific supposably ordered a reduction of miners pay from five cents to four cents a bushel with the hopes the miners would increase their production by twenty-five percent in order to receive the same take home pay. Governor Thayer's message of December 10 stated that the U. P. Coal Company asked for a small force to protect property and preserve public order and ensure the operation of the railroad and the U. S. Mail. Troops were sent from Fort Sanders for the protection of U.S. property at Carbon. Work was resumed early in December with a reduced force mining fifteen cars a day. By the fifteenth the mines were at their usual output. Shipments of coal in Carbon were thirty cars a day by the end of 1875 with the help provided by Rock Springs miners who came to Carbon rather than work with the Chinese. (Kinnaman, Carbon)

CARBON, WYOMING ABOUT 1875 (WHILE FAMILY COLLECTION FROM BOB LEATHERS)

CARBON COAL CAMP IN 1875 (GERT MILLIKEN COLLECTION FROM GARY MILLIKEN)

1876
In the News

• An express train from New York City to San Francisco, passing through Wyoming, crossed the nation in 83 hours.
• June 25, 1876:  The Sioux and Cheyenne Indians defeated Custer at the Little Big Horn in Montana. 
• November 25, 1876: Custer’s loss at the Little Big Horn had ramifications for Wyoming. Five months after Custer was killed, Cheyenne Chief Dull Knife and his tribe were camped along the headwaters of the Red Fork of the Powder River near present day Barnum, Wyoming. General Ranald Mackenzie discovered the village, and, seeking revenge for Custer, attacked the village and killed many of the people. The tribe was relocated by the military out of Wyoming and onto a reservation in present day Kansas and Oklahoma.

 
Carbon Miner
 
One miner was killed in the mines.

1. John Isaac Haddix Jr. [Hadix] experienced a finger wound on rusty iron in a Carbon coal mine, and, as a result of the wound, he died from blood poisoning on January 13, 1876. He was buried in the Carbon cemetery in an unmarked grave. (Anderson) (Kinnaman)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 69,062 tons of coal in 1876. (UPCM)

1877
In the News

• The phonograph, Edison’s first great invention, was announced.
• Dr. David Whitney was the first doctor to settle in Carbon.

 
Carbon Miner
 
One miner was killed in the mines. 

1. John McDermott was killed in a Carbon coal mine November 23, 1877. It is not known where he was buried. (Anderson) (Kinnaman)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 74,343 tons of coal in 1877. (UPCM)

1878
Carbon Miner
 
One miner was killed in the mines.

1. Thomas Perry Culleton was killed in one of the Carbon mines in 1878. His age and burial place are unknown. (Anderson)

In the spring of 1878, floodwaters entered the mine [Carbon No. 1] by way of surface caves, flooding the workings, which caused the mine to be idle for several weeks until workings were dewatered. The writer distinctly remembers that the women of the town sewed sacks, which were filled with earth and used as an embankment or dike to turn the flow of water into another channel so as to avoid the surface cave. (T. H. Butler's History of Carbon)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 62,418 tons of coal in 1878. (UPCM)

1879
In the News

• Edison demonstrated the incandescent light bulb to the public in New Jersey.

CARBON MINE NO. 2 (HANNA BASIN MUSEUM)

CARBON MINE OFFICE (HANNA BASIN MUSEUM)

L. G. Smith was Carbon mine superintendent from 1878 to June 1881. (T. H. Butler's History of Carbon)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 75,325 tons of coal in 1879. (UPCM)

1880
In the News

• Wyoming’s population was 20,789 people and Carbon County had 3,439 of that total.

 

• The Union Pacific Carbon No. 6 mine, near the No. 1, was opened for production of coal. The miners opening the No. 6 mine were predominately men from Lancashire, England.

 

• The Union Pacific No. 5 mine, about 5 miles north of Carbon, was opened. A new community called Niles was built. It included a new school and company store. 

Location of the Carbon No. 5 Mine (Image from Google Earth labeled by Bob Leathers)

Carbon Miner
 
One miner was killed in the mines.

1. Thomas Davis was killed January 21, 1880, in one of the Union Pacific Carbon coal mines. He was buried in a marked grave in Lucas, Iowa. The mine he was killed in is unknown. (Anderson)  

For the first time, the Carbon mines experienced production of over one hundred thousand tons of coal in a single year.

The Carbon mines produced a total of 100,434 tons of coal in 1880. (UPCM)

The Carbon operation was under the charge of L. R. Meyer, Mine Superintendent and David Thomas and W. R. Gardner, Foremen. Mr. Meyer was also Mine Superintendent of the Carbon Mine at this time. The coal being of poor quality, the mine was abandoned. (T. H. Butler's History of Carbon)

The Carbon No. 6 Mine was opened in the year 1880 and abandoned in the 1890 on account of all marketable coal available having been recovered. Thomas Quealy, brother of the late P. J. Quealy, was in charge as Mine Foreman from 1880 to 1882 being replaced by Joseph Cox who was in charge from 1882 to 1889 at which time he was transferred to Hanna, and opened the Hanna mines, under the direction of L. R. Meyer then Mine Superintendent at Carbon. With the transfer of Joseph Cox to Hanna, Alex Briggs was placed in charge of No. 6 mine as Mine Foreman and served as such from the year 1889 until the mine was abandoned on account of all marketable coal available having been recovered. (T. H. Butler's History of Carbon)

Until the No. 6 mine was opened, the Lancashire men were the predominate workers in the Carbon mines. Following the opening of the sixth mine, more men of different nationalities drifted into Carbon. Stores began to multiply along the south side of the tracks and more and more houses were erected on the hills. The different nationalities tended to be clannish, making their own settlements in separate sections of the hills. The one melting pot where all nationalities mixed freely was the business district. The steady backbone of the business district was the saloons. The Milliken and Ross Saloon were the Town's most prominent of the liquor houses. Miners would convert their hard earned dollars on each payday into a mug of ale or glass of alcohol. Besides the three saloons located in the Carbon business area, the businesses included three merchandise stores, a shoe shop, the meat markets, the bank, the printing, a barber shop and the blacksmith shop. The hotels, which included The Scranton House, The Wyoming House, The American House and Bob Jack’s House, were more pleasing to the ear than the eye. Hotel life in the 1880's in Carbon was closer to camping life. (Highlights of Old Carbon by Velene Cormier)

The Finnish Temperance Society of Carbon was a strong and viable organization. 

Finnish Temperance Society of Old Carbon, 1880 (Gert Milliken Collection from Gary Milliken)

1881
In the News

• July 20, 1881: Five years after Custer was defeated at the Little Big Horn, the Sioux chief Sitting Bull surrendered to the U. S. Army. He was held as a prisoner of war in South Dakota for two years then permitted to live on the Standing Rock Reservation. He died in 1890 from gunshot wounds.

 

• In 1881, the Union Pacific No. 1 mine in Carbon was abandoned. The mine opened in 1868 and closed production at the end of 1881 because all the mineable coal had been removed from the mine. The No. 1 was opened as a shaft mine, which may have been the only shaft mine in the area. Forty-one documented miners were killed in the Carbon mines, and at least 5 of the 41 were killed in the Carbon No. 1 mine.

 
Carbon Miner
 
Two men were killed in the mines.

1. John Johnson was killed November 1881 in Union Pacific's No. 2 mine in Carbon while raising a derrick. It is not known where he was buried. (Anderson) (Kinnaman)

1. William West was killed November 26, 1881, in Union Pacific's No. 2 mine in Carbon. He died from lung inflammation from firedamp in the mine. He was buried in the Carbon cemetery in a marked grave. (Anderson) (Kinnaman)

L. R. Meyer was Carbon mine superintendent from July 1881 to Dec. 1891. (T. H. Butler's History of Carbon)

The Carbon mines experienced a huge increase in coal production in 1881, over 44,000 tons. ​

The Carbon mines produced a total of 156,820 tons of coal in 1881. (UPCM)

The miner had to supply his own tools and powder for blasting and there were no company houses in Carbon. The powder came in tin cans, which the miners flattened and used, on their home roofs. Wood of all types was valuable including crate wood. The best houses were made of flat stones with adobe in between, but the stone had to be hauled in from a distance and was expensive. Mine officials had these types of houses. (Kinnaman)

1882
In the News

• April 3, 1883: His fellow gang member, Bob Ford, murdered the outlaw, Jesse James.

 

• November 14, 1882: Franklin Leslie killed “Billy the Kid” in the streets of Tombstone, Arizona.

 
Carbon Miner
 
One miner was killed in the mines.

1. Gus Leal was killed April 1882, in a Union Pacific Carbon mine. It is not known where he was buried. It is unknown in which Carbon mine he was killed. (Anderson) (Kinnaman)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 200,124 tons of coal in 1882. (UPCM)

1883
In the News

• Martha Jane Canary, “Calamity Jane,” visited the saloons of Carbon on her way to California. She had a reputation as a hard drinking woman, who wore men’s clothing, used bawdy language, chewed tobacco and was very good with a gun. The citizens of Deadwood, South Dakota remembered her as a saint where she helped nurse the sick during a smallpox epidemic. She was buried near Wild Bill Hickok at Deadwood, South Dakota.

Carbon Miner
 
One miner was killed in the mines.

1. Chris Boisen was killed January 9, 1883, in Union Pacific’s No. 5 mine in Carbon. A wife and 6 children survived him. He was buried in the Carbon cemetery in a marked grave. (Anderson)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 248,366 tons of coal in 1883. (UPCM)

​1884
 
In the News

• A fence around the Carbon cemetery was completed.

 

• Workers from Finland were starting to arrive in Carbon. Like other immigrants, the Finnish people came to Carbon in search of a better life. The coal company in Carbon actively recruited Finn workers and many more Finns simply followed relatives. Finnish miners provided some of the labor that was in demand by the coal company at the time. The coal company wanted workers who would not socialize with English speaking miners and would not join the union. There were several reasons for the Finnish people, especially men, to leave their homeland. Finland lacked some of the necessary resources needed to become a highly industrialized country that would have created lots of jobs and Finland’s political ties with Russia created unrest among the Finnish people, especially the young men who might be drafted into the Russian military.

Carbon Miner
 
There was one fatality in the mines.
​

1. Eric Christianson (Eric Christensen) was killed December 30, 1884, in the Union Pacific Railway's No. 5 mine in Carbon. Runaway coal cars in the mine killed him. His burial place is unknown. (Anderson) (Kinnaman)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 321,637 tons of coal in 1884. (UPCM)

1885
In the News

• June 17, 1885: The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor. The statue stood watch over more than 12 million immigrants who sailed into New York Harbor. Some of those immigrants were headed to Carbon and Hanna.

 

• September 2, 1885: In Rock Springs, Wyoming Territory, 28 Chinese coal mine laborers were killed, and 15 others wounded by white miners. Hundreds more were chased out of town by angry white coal miners. The Chinese coal miners were brought to Rock Springs by the Union Pacific Coal Company as strikebreakers and to keep the union in check.

 

• The Union Pacific abandoned the Carbon No. 5 mine at Niles. The mine was situated five miles north of Carbon; the mine was opened in 1880 and abandoned in 1885. It turned out to be poor quality coal. Production numbers for just the No. 5 mine were not found. Over time, the Carbon mines in total experienced 41 documented deaths. It is not known in which mine 14 of the 41 were killed, but at least 3 of the 41 occurred in the No. 5 mine.

The railroad used a steam switch engine like the one below to move coal and people around at the Carbon Mines, especially back and forth to the No. 5 mine which was 5 miles north of town.

Old Time Engine 929 at Carbon (UPCCEM, March 1927)

Carbon Miner
 
Two men were killed in the mines.

1. John Donnelly was killed March 1885 in Union Pacific's Carbon No. 6 mine from a fall of rock. His burial place is unknown. (Anderson) (Kinnaman)

1. Albert Reemer was killed January 23, 1885, in Union Pacific's Carbon's No. 5 mine from an explosion. It is unknown where he was buried. (Anderson) Albert Reemer was killed after he lit the fuse of a shot. When nothing happened, he went to investigate, following which the explosion occurred. (Kinnaman)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 226,864 tons of coal in 1885. (UPCM)

​1886
In the News

• October 28, 1886: President Grover Cleveland dedicated the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

 

• September 4, 1886: Apache Chief Geronimo surrendered to the United States troops.

 

• The University of Wyoming in Laramie was chartered.

 
Carbon Miner
 
One fatality occurred in the mines.

1. Alfred Ball was killed in the Union Pacific's Carbon No. 6 mine. He died October 19, 1886, from a fall of top coal. He was buried in the Carbon cemetery in a marked grave. (Anderson)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 214,235 tons of coal in 1886. (UPCM)

The coal camp at Carbon, Wyoming was strong and vibrant in 1886. The demand for coal was high and rapidly growing. The citizens of Carbon thought their coal field would last forever and the camp would prosper for many years to come. Little did they know that 1886 was the beginning of the end for their town. 
 
There were eleven coal mines producing coal in the Wyoming Territory in 1886; two of those mines were located at Carbon and owned by the Union Pacific Railway Company. They were the No. 2 and the No. 6 mines.
 
The Union Pacific Railroad officials, especially Charles Adams, the president of the railroad, were facing some difficult times and hard decisions in 1886. The situations were politically complex, but the bottom line was simple. The railroad had to increase revenue or go broke. The railroad was facing a financial crisis on many fronts, but the debt owed the federal government was the most worrisome.
 
In order to pay the bills, the railroad needed to increase profits. The mining industry was one place the railroad felt more funds could be collected. But in order to increase income, some basic problems had to be solved.
 
A growing welter of problems in the mines, of which labor unrest was only one, existed. Some of the mines were played out and no longer economical to work. New veins had been located but would be costly to develop. As productive mines burrowed deeper, longer hauls were required, thereby hiking costs. Labor was scarce, coal cars even scarcer. Machinery wore down faster than expected, and some proved too light for the work demanded of it. The new machinery performed well but was expensive. To improve ventilation new fans needed to be installed. (Union Pacific, Vol. 1, Maury Klein)

Union Pacific General Manager, T. J. Potter, reported to Adams that he was concerned that if production didn't increase, the railroad would not have enough coal to meet their needs. ​

The question as Potter saw it was, “Shall the Company go ahead and expand, within the next two years, half a million dollars to put the mines in condition to increase their output, or will they lease them on some fair basis to responsible parties?”  Potter favored a lease, perhaps to Beckwith, which would take the company out of the coal business at least until it settled the funding dispute with the government. The board responded by naming Adams, Fred Ames and Mark Hanna to a committee to take up Potter’s recommendation. Early in 1888, Beckwith was given charge of the Colorado coal and stone properties, but Adams wanted Hanna to run the Wyoming mines. When Potter died unexpectedly, the matter fell once more into confusion. (Union Pacific, Vol. 1, Maury Klein)

Beckwith was a labor contractor for the railroad. He also owned the Beckwith Mercantile stores. He provided the labor for the mines. He also served as paymaster for the miners. Potter felt Beckwith already had his fingers firmly in the pot and would be a natural fit to take over the production of the mines as well. Adams was swamped by railroad problems, so he looked to Mark Hanna for help with the production problems and the coal mining issues as a whole. In order to better understand the situation, Mark Hanna visited the Wyoming coal mines to examine the problems.
 
Hanna returned from his visit with some insight as to what was happening in the Wyoming coal mines. Primarily, he thought more investment was needed to get more profit. He also importantly believed the labor problems had to be solved. It was Beckwith who provided the Chinese labor to work in the coal mines and on the railroad. The miners in Carbon had gone on strike in January 1885 over wages and the importing of Chinese miners. It was the clash between the Chinese and white miners in Rock Springs that lead to the Chinese Massacre on September 2, 1885. Labor relations were severely affected by the hiring of Chinese labor and were a problem Mark Hanna had to deal with. Because of the massacre, no more Chinese would be hired, but Beckwith was now doing the same thing with other miners especially the Finnish miners. If he had control of production as well as labor, Hanna did not like how that might end up. On purpose, Beckwith provided workers who would not mix with the white miners. The hope was that they would not join the union or go on strike.
 
Fortunately, one of Adam's government directors was Mark Hanna, the shrewd, intelligent coal dealer from Cleveland who would later carve an impressive career in politics as he had in business. Hanna inspected the Wyoming mines in October 1886 to investigate complaints made by miners. Among other things he found that Beckwith was hiring Finnish miners because they did not “fraternize” with other miners” and resisted organizing. A strike in Colorado, provoked by a pay reduction, prompted officials there to seek Hungarians as replacements for the same reason. No more Chinese were imported, but the object was still to find men who would not join the union. As a result, labor tensions remained high at all the mines. (Union Pacific, Vol. 1, Maury Klein)

​1887
In the News

• May 9, 1887: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show opened in London. 

 

• January 1887: Wyoming experienced record cold and snowfall which decimated the state livestock industry, especially the large cattle herds.

 

• The Carbon mines were operating, but the mineable coal was diminishing. A new source of coal was needed. 

 
Carbon Miner
 
Fortunately, there were no reported fatalities in the mines this year.

The Carbon mines produced a total of 288,358 tons of coal in 1887. (UPCM)

December 1887: The newspaper Wyoming and Its Future, Laramie Territory, 1887 Holiday Edition, published an informative picture and article about Wyoming's Carbon City. The picture for the article was taken by F. M. Baker and the town business locations were numbered by the newspaper. The picture and article were very revealing.

Wyoming and Its Future, Laramie Territory, 1887 Holiday Edition​​

1887:  Carbon, the Black Diamond Camp

The Resources and Business Interests of Carbon
Where the Black Diamond is Ushered to Light and
Distributed through the West.

1. Beckwith Commercial Company Store  2. Carbon House  3. C. F. Johnson's Store  4. Scranton House  5. G. Gobleman  6. Butcher Shop.  7 & 8 Co-operative Store  10. Dr. Clark. 11. Dr. Ricketts and Barber Shop  12. F. P Shannon's Drug Store 13. General store owned by F. P. Shannon  14. Wyoming House  15. Finish Church.  16. Saloon  17. No. 6 Coal Mine.
18. No. 2 Coal Mine (Building No. 9 missing.) (Wyoming and Its Future, Laramie Territory, 1887 Holiday Edition)

Carbon is situated in Carbon County on the Union Pacific Rail Road about eighty-five miles west of Laramie City and is the second mining camp, in importance, in the Territory.
 
The history of Carbon, as a town, dates from the construction of the railroad. Thomas Wardell entered into contract to furnish the Union Pacific Rail Road with coal, in 1868. This contract continued until 1872, when the Union Pacific Coal Department took possession of the mines. Previous to 1868, private parties had opened up claims and mined coal on a small scale, but there was no market for their coal and their efforts were unsuccessful.
 
In 1881, the station, coal office, and agents’ residence, were moved about half mile east of the town, to their present location, to facilitate the coal shipments.

MINES

The mining of coal is the most important industry of Carbon. There are two mines in active operation, known as No. 6 and No. 2. About five hundred men are employed, in and around the mines, nearly all of whom are foreigners. The average daily output of the mines is about 150 cars. In 1886, according to the report of Mine Inspector P.J. Quealy, 234, 288 tons were mined. The coal is pure lignite and is excellent for steam and general purposes. The coal measures crop out and dip at an average angle of five or six degrees till the lowest basin is reached at a vertical depth of two hundred and eighty feet. The coal then crops out towards the Saddle Back mountains west of the town. Mr. L. R. Meyer is the Superintendent of the mines. He is a native of Germany but has spent a great portion of his life in America. He is thoroughly conversant in the English language and admirably qualified for the office of Superintendent. Mr. L. G. Smith, the gentlemanly bookkeeper of the mines, is considered one of the finest accountants in the employ of the coal department. Joseph Cox is the Pit Boss at Mine No. 2, and George Haywood at Mine No. 6. Both these men have recently been examined by the Territorial Inspector of Mines and pronounced well qualified for their respective positions. The Master mechanic’s office is filled by Mr. D. A. Griffiths, who is considered to be an expert in his line. In 1880, the Union Pacific Coal Department opened Mine No. 5 two miles north of Carbon. This mine was in operation until 1885 when it was abandoned because of the inferior quality of coal, when the company moved all their buildings and machinery to Carbon.
 
The loss of life is very small in proportion to the number of men employed in the mines. The miners are supplied with all the timber they require for timbering rooms and working places, and the company insists on its being used. Before the passage of the Mining Act, three mines were ventilated by manual ventilation. A large twenty-foot Gimbal fan supplies Mine No. 6 with air and a similar fan has recently been erected at Mine No. 2.

CARBON

The town has a population of about twelve hundred, and the inhabitants are mostly of foreign birth representing various nationalities, the Finlanders numbering about three hundred. Most of these men were sailors in their own country, and came to America to avoid being forced into the Russian Navy.
Nearly all the English-Speaking miners worked in the mines of England and Wales, before coming to this country. They are honest, hardworking, peaceable, and law abiding, and it is safe to say that Carbon is the quietest camp in the United States, and though there are eight saloons in town, drinking is not indulged in to an immoderate extent. The company owns some sixty houses which are rented to the employees, and the only drawback to the town is the lack of water for domestic use which at present is hauled here in cars from Aurora but the company is figuring on laying pipes from No. Five spring to supply the town and railroad engines with water. It is very probable that the round house at Medicine Bow, will be moved to Carbon if a sufficient supply of water can be procured.

Carbon has several small stores dealing in general merchandise, the largest of which is the Beckwith Commercial Company’s, formerly known as Beckwith, Quinn & Co. This firm was organized in 1875 with headquarters at Evanston and branch stores at all the coal mining towns along the U.  R. R. Their Carbon store was opened in 1877 with Lewis Dibble as manager. Mr. Dibble resigned in 1885 and Thos. O. Minta succeeded him. At the commencement of the present year, the firm’s name was changed to the Beckwith Commercial Company, and it now does an immense business carrying a large stock of merchandise and miners’ supplies. The paid in capital of the company amounts to three hundred thousand dollars, and the men employed in and about the mines are paid through this firm and all private coal is sold by them.
 
Mr. T. O. Minta, the general manager was born in Manchester, England, in 1846, has been engaged in merchandise since the age of fourteen. He came to this country in 1869, and resided in Boston two years; from thence he removed to California; then to Wadsworth, Nevada, where he forwarded goods by 16 mule prairie schooners to the silver mines at Belleville, 150 miles distant. Then he engaged in the general merchandise business on his own account, and was postmaster of the town of Belleville. From this place he entered the service of Beckwith & Lauder, Echo City, Utah; the assumed the management of the same firms’ store at Grass Creek. He then paid a visit to his home in England; returning, he entered the employ of Beckwith, Quinn & Co., at Evanston, until August 1885, when he came to Carbon where he resides at present. Mr. Minta is a practical business man and a shrewd financier. His long experience and business training eminently fit him for the position he fills. In his hands any business would flourish and the Beckwith Commercial Company are to be congratulated up[on processing a man of his business calibre to manage their store in this town. Mr. C. H. Lane, the cashier and bookkeeper, is a native of Natick, Massachusetts; came to Wyoming in 1880 to engage in the sheep business; accepted a position with Beckwith, Quinn & Co., in February, 1886, and remained with the other firm after the change. Roger T. Williams is the head clerk and wears his honors modestly. He is ably seconded by Messrs, Hunter, Anderson, Doane, and Remes.
 
The U. P. Station is under the management of G. C. Randall, better known to the public as Tom Moon. He has been located here about seven years. The station is one of the most important ones on the road owing to the shipments of coal, and the force of clerks is kept very busily employed. The corps of assistants includes J. J. Buck, S. B. Runyan, and H. Dibble.
 
J. W. Johnson, who has since 1881, been one of Carbon’s leading business men, has recently sold his interest here to the Co-Operative Association. Mr. Johnson has always had the entire confidence of the people, and his departure causes general regret

​F. P. SHANNON

Among Carbon’s most enterprising young business men, is Mr. F. P. Shannon, proprietor of the Carbon Drug Store, and Post-master. In addition to the duties of the above office he is Co. Supt. Of schools, and one of the Territorial Pharmacy Commissioners. Mr. Shannon came to Wyoming in 1881. He was connected with Beckwith, Quinn & Co., for three and a half years as cashier, which position he resigned in order to visit South America. After a year’s absence from Carbon, he returned and opened his present store and is succeeding finely. Mr. Shannon is a very progressive young man, and is bound to succeed in whatever he undertakes. He is finely educated and deservedly popular wherever he is known. During the several months in which he has served as Co. Supt., he has won high praise for the able manner in which he has fulfilled the duties of his office.  He is doing much for the cause of good literature by offering the citizens of Carbon the best works of ancient and modern writers at extremely reasonable prices. J. A. Shannon acts as post-office clerk and is very popular with the general public on account of his pleasing address and strict attention to business.

BAKER’S STUDIO

One of the busiest places in town is Baker’s Photograph Gallery, situated on an eminence in the northern part of this place. The proprietor, F. M. Baker, ranks among the leading photographers of the territory. Within the past year he has erected a commodious gallery, fitted up with all the modern improvements, and admirably adapted for his business. Mr. Baker has in the past always turned-out fine work but his present pictures surpass anything ever seen in this county, and it is doubtful if they can be beaten by any artist in Wyoming. Mr. Baker is a young man of thirty and a graduate of Middlebury College, Vermont. He has been a resident of Wyoming for the past five years and considers himself a permanent fixture. In addition to making photographs and views, he carries a large stock of frames and albums, which he offers at very reasonable prices. He makes a specialty of enlarging pictures and also takes orders for crayon portraits. The picture of Carbon at the head of this article, is from a photograph taken recently by Mr. Baker especially for this edition. He is widely known throughout the territory, and his many friends watch his artistic progress with great pleasure.

BEN JOSE

Has a little store next to C.F. Johnson's, and carries on a snug little business selling fruits, nuts, confectionery and toys. Ben has the misfortune to be deprived of his eye sight, but not withstanding this affliction he manages to make a success of his life and has an excellent trade.

PROFESSIONAL MEN

Carbon has very few professional men but her contingent compares favorably with that of larger places.
 
Dr. T. G. Ricketts is the U. P. Surgeon and has a lucrative practice throughout the country. He is a graduate of Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania, and is acknowledged to be one of the leading doctors in Wyoming.
 
Dr. S. G. Clark owns a recently completed drug store and also practices medicine. He is well advanced in years but his mental powers are unimpaired, and his health very vigorous. 
 
Michael Henry is the only lawyer in Carbon, and consequently has a monopoly of all legal business in town which is transacted to the entire satisfaction of his clients and the general public. ​

HOTELS

Carbon supports several hotels, and among them may be mentioned the Scranton House, Wyoming House, Carbon House, and Nixon’s Boarding House. They are all comfortable and well kept, and furnish excellent board. The Scranton House, under the management of John O’Connor, is the leading hotel in town. It has recently been renovated and refurnished and is a thoroughly first class house. John is a model land lord and personally looks after the comfort of his guests, leaving nothing undone that will in any way add to their material welfare. 
 
There are two first class markets in town. One is owned and run by Jens Hansen, and the other by Messrs, Young & Jackson. Both firms do an excellent business and aim to supply their customers with all the delicacies of the season, and the finest kinds of meat, fish, and vegetables. These three young men are well liked by all, and being energetic, enterprising, and strictly honorable in all their dealings are bound to succeed in a business they are well qualified to carry on.

C. F. JOHNSON

He is a native of Sweden, but has resided in America for twenty years. He came to Carbon in 1872 and after a stay of six years, went away. He returned during 1883 and opened a general merchandise store in a building erected by himself, where he has a thriving trade. Mr. Johnson is an enthusiastic numismatist and has one of the finest collections of coins and medals in Wyoming, which he is always very willing to show to anyone interested in such matters. Mr. Johnson’s success illustrates what pluck and perseverance can accomplish when united with business ability and good sense.

CO-OPERATIVE STORE

The Carbon Co-operative Association has a store here, which is ably managed by Jas. Ryder, with Frank Rodas and C. A. Polley as assistants. This is now the second store in importance in town, and is in every respect a first class one. They have recently moved into the premises lately occupied by J. W. Johnson, after having first greatly improved the interior.

CHURCHES

Carbon now has a Protestant Church, and one of which she is justly proud, viz: The M. E. Church, lately erected here. It was built by contributions from the people, and although not yet fully completed, adds greatly to the interest of the town. The directors are giving a series of concerts, suppers, etc., to procure funds with which to improve from time to time, the church.
The Carbon Lutheran Church, of which Rev. William Williamson is pastor, has recently taken possession of is a new edifice and is in a flourishing condition. A Good-Templar Society has lately been organized and is doing good temperance work. 
 
The Carbon Union Sunday school, of which Mrs. Dr. S. G. Clark is Superintendent, has a large attendance and is being carried on very successfully.
 
The Roman Catholics have no building, but hope at no distant day, to erect a church of their own. They have some six hundred and fifty dollars already in bank, as a nucleus of their building fund. Rev. Dr. Cummisky of Laramie visits the society several times year and holds religious services in the school house.
 ​

P. J. QUEALY

The Territorial Inspector of Mines resides in Carbon. He came to Wyoming in 1875, but has been absent from the territory, more or less in the interests of the U. P. C. D. He has spent considerable time in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington Territory, and Utah. Mr. Quealy has for years been interested in coal mining, and is considered an authority on all matters pertaining to the industry. He has a practical education and, for a young man of thirty-one has been wonderfully successful. He has been interested in the cattle business since 1882, and owns a fine ranch thirty-five miles north of Carbon. He is also interested in the Quealy & Hoffman Coal Co., at Bozeman, Montana, and the C.W. Hoffman & Co. Mercantile Co., but these business interests are tributary to his more permanent interests in Wyoming. Mr. Quealy was appointed Territorial Inspector of Mines by Gov. Warren in October 1886. His many qualifications for this important position rendered his appointment particularly throughout the territory. 
 
Since the above was put in type, Mr. Quealy has become interested in mines near Rock Springs, and has resigned his position as Territorial Inspector of Mines, and removed to that place; but his office is still conducted here, by H. Stanley, late of Rawlins. Mr. Quealy’s successor is C.T. Epperson, of Evanston.

SCHOOLS

Carbon has a public school which ranks with any in the territory. There are nearly two hundred pupils enrolled and before long will be need of more room and another teacher. Mr. A. J. Matthews is principal, while Mrs. L.W. Smith has charge of the intermediate department, and Miss Anna Parker of the primary. The school building is a credit to the town and is equipped with all the apparatus of a modern school, in the way of furniture, maps, charts, and globes. During the winter months a night school is maintained for the benefit of those employed in the mines. (Wyoming and Its Future, Laramie Territory, 1887 Holiday Edition)

Wyoming Miner
 
The Territory of Wyoming had its first million tons of coal produced in 1887 (855,920 tons of coal were produced in 1884; 806,417 tons produced in 1885; 835, 999 tons produced in 1886 and 1,119,909 tons produced in 1887).

​1888
In the News

• March 12, 1888: Chinese laborers were excluded from the United States. The United States and China approved a treaty forbidding Chinese laborers from entering the United States for 20 years.

 

• The Hanna town site at Chimney Springs was surveyed and the area explored for coal mine locations. Mark Hanna, at the request of the Union Pacific Railroad, toured the Wyoming coal mines. On his trip he visited the newly discovered coal fields at Chimney Springs for possible expansion. He recommended the coal field be developed. When the decision to move the coal operation from Carbon to Hanna was made, the coal site at Chimney Springs was named Hanna after Mark Hanna.

 
Carbon Miner
 
Two miners were killed in the mines.

1. Andrew Palso was so badly hurt from a fall of top coal in the Union Pacific Mine No. 2 in Carbon on January 15, 1888, that he died on the way to the U.P. Hospital in Denver the next day. (1888 MIR) The burial place of Andrew Palso is unknown. (Anderson)

1. John Peterson, on February 27, 1888, received injuries in No. 2 U.P. mine in Carbon by a fall of top coal in his room that was so serious he died in the U.P. Hospital at Denver on March 3, 1888. (1888 MIR) The burial place of John Peterson is unknown. (Anderson)

The Carbon mines produced a total of 347,754 tons of coal in 1888. (UPCM)

1889
In the News

• Union Pacific Coal Company’s No. 7 mine in Carbon was opened for coal production.​

• July 20, 1889: Homesteaders Ella Watson and James Averell were accused of rustling and were hanged by Wyoming ranchers.

• June 2, 1899: The Wild Bunch robbed the train east of Carbon.

Carbon and Hanna Miner
 
One man was killed in the Carbon mines.

1. William Conner [William Connor] was crushed to death November 21, 1889, in Union Pacific Railway's No. 6 mine in Carbon. His burial place is unknown. (Anderson) (Kinnaman)

Three Union Pacific Coal Company mines were producing coal.
 
1. Carbon No. 2 underground mine with 351 employees and 25 mules produced 191,601 tons of coal.
2. Carbon No. 6 underground mine with 221 workers and 13 mules produced 71,906 tons of coal.
3. Dana No. 1 underground mine with 142 workers and 4 mules produced 7,432 tons of coal. (1889 MIR)
​

The Carbon mines produced a total of 170,258 tons of coal in 1889. (UPCM)

Carbon No. 2 mine superintendent was L. E. Meyer. George Heywood was the mine foreman. Carbon No. 6 mine superintendent was L. R. Meyer. Alex Briggs was the mine foreman. Dana No. 1 mine superintendent was L. R. Meyer. W. H. Brown was the assistant superintendent. W. S. Carr was the mine foreman. Hanna No. 1 and No. 2 mine superintendent was L. R. Meyer. Joe Cox was the mine foreman. Carbon No. 2 is located in Carbon County on the main line of the Union Pacific Railway. This mine has been operated for a number of years by the Union Pacific Railway Company to whom it belongs. Many times in its history it looked discouraging as a producer to be relied upon, but the courage and tactics of the local management has steadily met and overcome the difficulties presented and she has responded with encouraging out-puts in all cases of emergency and the condition’s promise has at no time in the past been better than on my last regular inspection. An average of about six feet of coal is taken and is reached by a slope from the crop, with a gradient of 6 to 8 degrees with lateral entries driven right and left, some irregular and crooked, because of intervening faults, by systems of plans in use the coal is conveniently delivered to the slope. The mine has during the past year, wonderfully improved in condition, in the particulars of hauling and traveling ways, manner of timbering, cleaning and keeping in order, airways and, in fact, almost every particular in which the intelligent conduct of a mine would suggest. It is well ventilated by a 20-foot Guibal fan. In the particular of ventilation, the mine is well up to the standard, the current being well under control and taken to working places, capacity of the mine is 1000 to 1200 tons per day. 

​Carbon No. 6 is an old mine owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railway Company and is located on the main line about half a mile from the No. 2 mine. It has been a good producer, but the field of coal that can be handled through the opening to this mine is about exhausted. Drawing the pillars is finishing the mine. When this is done, the mine will be closed. At present, the mine is in good condition generally. The ventilation is by a 20-foot Guibal fan, which, with the limited number of workers, supplies all the air needed. (1889 MIR)

The Carbon No. 7 mine opened for development in 1889, at about the same time as the Hanna No. 1 and No. 2 mines were developed. Coal was produced in the Carbon No. 7 mine in 1900 and 1901. The mine closed production in 1901 and was abandoned in 1902.

No. 7 Mine: (Sand Creek) This mine was situated approximately two miles south of the town of Carbon, and was opened in July 1899, and closed April 30th, 1902. Coal being of poor quality, and seam full of impurities, caused the abandonment of this mine. With the abandonment of this mine, all mining operations in or adjacent to Carbon ceased and the population which had dwindled from one thousand in the heyday of the town to approximately two hundred now, deserted the homes they occupied for a number of years, and secured employment in Union Pacific Mines at Spring Valley, Cumberland, Rock Springs, and Hanna. (1889 MIR)

1890:
In the News

•  1890-1892: William Rhys Williams was the minister of St Thomas’ Church in Carbon.  
  

• 1890 June 19:​ A fierce fire broke out in Carbon and burned most of the business district to the ground. A few newspaper reports indicate the fire started in the Scranton House hotel where a guest knocked over a kerosene lamp. The fire fighters even tried dynamiting a few buildings in hopes of stopping the fire from spreading, but their efforts were not successful. Immediately after the fire, the people and businesses started rebuilding the town and new laws and ordinances were passed to help avoid such a thing from happening again.

CARBON FIRE (HANNA BASIN MUSEUM)

The Picture below shows the Volunteer Fire Department of Carbon, the photo was taken in front of the Union Pacific Coal Company store. Many Old timers are in this picture, including Big Pete Travis, Jack Mates, Cud Hastings; in fact, one could call the roster on this picture and a large proportion of the old Carbon families would be found to be represented. ​(Unknown)

CARBON Volunteer Fire Department in the 1880's (GERT MILLIKEN COLLECTION from Gary Milliken))

Ki Hickson. Carbon Fire Department. (Photo by Baker. Carbon. Saratoga. Hanna, Wyoming) (Sharrer Family Collection)

The Union Pacific's Carbon No. 6 mine in Carbon was abandoned because all the mineable coal had been removed. It was opened in 1880. Over time the Carbon mines experienced 41 documented deaths. It is not known in which mine 14 of the miners died, but 4 of the 41 miners died in the No. 6 mine.

The Carbon mines produced a total of 201,191 tons of coal in 1890. The Dana mine produced 29,886 tons. (UPCM)

Mayor of Carbon. (University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center)

Old Carbon Store General Merchandise (University of Wyoming - American Heritage Center)

​1891
 In the News

Carbon and Hanna Miner
 
One miners was killed in the Carbon Mines.

1. Arthur McCourt was killed November 13, 1891, in a Carbon coal mine. It is not known where he was buried. It is unknown which Carbon mine Arthur McCourt was killed in. (Anderson)

Four Union Pacific Coal Company mines were producing coal.
 
1. Carbon No. 2 underground mine, with 289 employees, worked 229 days and produced 163,490 tons of coal. 
2. Hanna No. 1 underground mine, with an average of 231 employees, worked 231 days and produced 133,283 tons of    coal. 
3. Hanna No. 2 underground mine, with 154 employees, worked 120 days and produced 38,507 tons of coal.
4. Dana No. 1 underground mine, with 114 employees, worked 152 days produced 29,336 tons. (1891 MIR)

Carbon and Hanna Businesses:

John Milliken's Opera House, which could seat 300 people was still open for business, along with several other Carbon businesses.

Milliken Opera House. (The Black Diamond, April 5, 1891)

General Merchandise. W.L. Evans. Carbon. Wyoming. (The Black Diamond, April 5, 1891)

​1892
In the News

• January 1, 1892: Ellis Island opened.
• Joseph Cox was transferred, by the Union Pacific Coal Company, from Hanna to Gray Creek, Colorado, as superintendent of the mines located there. He later became a private owner of several coal mines in Aguilar, Colorado.

 
Carbon Miner
 
Three men lost their lives in the Carbon Mines.

1. George Stansfield, an English miner, age 60, was killed in the Carbon No. 2 Mine. He was working in a room where a dangerous rock was known to be hanging in the face. His partner was back loading a cartridge with powder with which he intended to blast the coal from under the rock and in this manner get it safely down. Stansfield, for reasons which cannot be explained, went near this loose rock, and commenced to work. The rock fell suddenly, catching the miner and caused his instant death. (1892 MIR)

He was about 60 years old and buried in a marked grave in the Carbon, Wyoming cemetery. ​

1. William Wright, a Scotch miner, was killed in the Carbon No. 2 mine. He had just entered his place of work when a huge rock fell from the roof without warning and killed him. (1892 MIR) He was about 23 years old and buried in a marked grave in the Carbon, Wyoming cemetery. 

1. Thomas Dodds, an English miner, rope runner, age 34, was killed in the Carbon No. 2 mine. While riding up the slope out of the mine on the last trip at night, his head struck a crossbeam, which supported the roof, knocking him under the cars causing injuries from which he died soon after. (1892 MIR) 
2. He was buried in a marked grave in the Carbon, Wyoming cemetery. ​

Two Union Pacific Coal Company mines were producing coal.

1. Carbon No. 2 mine with 275 employees, worked 238 days, produced 184,317 tons of coal.
2. Hanna No.1 with 267 employees, worked 267 days, produced 260,409 tons of coal. (1892 MIR)

Alexander Briggs was superintendent of Carbon No. 2 mine and G. R. Sweeney was superintendent of the Hanna No. 1 mine. The Hanna No. 2 mine was idle during 1892, and the Dana No. 1 mine was closed. The price for coal was $1.75 a ton at the mine.
 
Carbon was at one time the largest coal mining town in Wyoming.

Six mines were opened in Carbon and now all but one are worked out and abandoned. No. 2, the mine now operating, was opened in 1869; it is a slope mine and very extensive. The bottom is quite soft, and the pressure from above on each side of the openings causes an upheaval, until the bottom sometimes touches the top. Whenever such a state of affairs occurs, the only remedy is to dig the bottom out, and it is a matter of such frequent occurrence as to be a source of great expense to the company. A twenty-foot Guibal fan is used to ventilate the Mine, but because of the long levels and frequent "creeps and squeezes” the ventilation is difficult to maintain. In the course of another year the probabilities are that the old workings will be abandoned and the machinery moved to another field on the same vein where extensive prospecting is not being carried forward. This mine employs one hundred and ninety men inside and twenty mules. The water is pumped out by one large pump. Three smaller pumps are used to push the water to where the main pump is stationed. This mine is operated by the Union Pacific Coal Company. (1892 MIR)

E. J. Hall was Carbon mine superintendent from January 1892 to June 1892, and Alex Briggs from July 1892 to April 1902. ​

The Union Pacific Coal Company's Dana mine opened in 1889, equipped with first class machinery and the slope driven a distance of thirteen hundred feet. Three levels were turned off the main slope, but the coal was not as good as expected, and the mine was abandoned in May 1891. The Hanna mines are located on a spur of the Union Pacific Railway from Allen Junction, about twenty miles from Medicine Bow and about six miles from Dana. Hanna No. 1 mine is one of the best-equipped mines in the State. It has twenty-foot Guibal fan, which, by reason of the large air courses, easily displaces from 100,000 to 120,000 cubic feet of air per minute. Carbureted Hydrogen gas (the fire damp of the mine) escapes freely from the coal, and gas watchmen are continually in the mine looking for gas and keeping the ventilating apparatus in order. Once or twice a week the roadways and rooms are sprinkled with water and the deadly dust kept down. Every precaution is taken to make the mine safe for the men to work in. Hanna No. 2 is a new mine, and as yet, no gas has been discovered in it, but the managers are on the alert, and I am assured that whenever it makes its appearance proper steps will be taken to render it harmless. Water pipes are laid along the levels to lay the dust, and the current of air produced by a twenty-foot fan keeps the mine cool and healthful. This mine was idle during the year 1892. Both No. 1 and No. 2 mines are operated by the Union Pacific Coal Company. (1892 MIR)

Wyoming Miner
District No. 1
 
Hanna Basin mines produced a total of 444,726 tons of coal with 542 employees. The State of Wyoming's District No. 1 produced 2,408,165 tons of coal with 3,142 employees.

In 1892, John and Ellen (Young) Moody were operating a grocery store in Carbon. They married in Carbon in 1890. 

John Moody in front of his grocery store in Carbon, Wyoming. 1892. (Joyce Autrey. 2021)

Unfortunately, Pearl (Moody) Hildenbrandt [John Moody's daughter] doesn't show much in this old photo. She's inside the wicker baby carriage which can be seen through the doorway. The photo shows her father [John Moody] in front of the family general store in Carbon, Wyoming. The original of this photo is quite faded, bet we'll do the best we can in reproducing it because it's so typical of the small "everything" stores common throughout the west in the 1890's The sign across the front of the store reads "Don't Go Home Until You See the Wonderful Bargains on our Counter." ​Sign by Moody's head says, "Good Lemon-50 cents", but we can't make out if that's each, a dozen, or what. Anyway, a good lemon in Wyo. in 1892 must have been quite a treat. Notice also the wood plank sidewalk, the closeness of the buildings, even though there must have been room to spare in those days. (Joyce Autrey, 2021)

(Joyce Duggan Autrey)

1893:
In the News​

• The Outlaw Pete Anderson, or "Rattlesnake" Pete as he was called, was a thief in the town of Carbon. He stole Coffee Johnson's unique and valuable coin collection and made his way to Denmark.

Peter Anderson, commonly called "Rattlesnake" Pete, who drove a delivery wagon for C. F. Johnson, a grocery man at Carbon, skipped for parts unknown a few days ago, taking with him a collection of old coins, which belonged to Mr. Johnson and were valued by him at about $5000.00, and which he had been years collecting. Anderson, it seems, slept in the store and Mr. Johnson slept in the second story of the building. Anderson secured the coins and departed during the night; the theft not being discovered until a couple of days after his departure. Sherriff Hanson was then notified, but is doubtful if the culprit will be caught, as he had plenty of time to get out of the country before a search was inaugurated. (Rawlins Republican, February 16, 1893)

Peter Anderson, better known as "Rattlesnake" Pete, who was a trusted employee of the Carbon merchant Mr. C.F. Johnson and who robbed his employer of a cabinet of valuable old coins and some money, was caught in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Rock Springs Miner, April 27, 1893)

Secretary of State Gresham has informed the Governor of this state that he has received advice from the Danish government in reference to the case of Peter Anderson, alias John Miller, who stole the coin collection of C.F. Johnson at Carbon some time ago. The prisoner is a subject of Denmark, and the government of that country prefers to punish him there to permitting him to come back to America for trial. The coins he stole are now on the way to their rightful owner, all having been recovered. Mr. Johnson expected to go to Denmark after the robber but was instructed not to do so and is now in Chicago, taking in the World's Fair. (Rawlins Republican, May 27, 1893)

Rattlesnake Pete got it in the neck over in Denmark. He was sentenced to ten years in the pen for stealing the valuable coin collection of Mr. Johnson of Carbon. It is learned that he is a habitual criminal and has done time in previous years in Denmark prisons. (Laramie Weekly Sentinel June 3, 1893)

Word has just been received from Copenhagen, Denmark that Pete Anderson, "Rattlesnake" Pete, who stole the valuable collection of coins from C.F. Johnson, the Carbon merchant, has just been sentenced to a term of ten years in prison for his crime. The collection of coins has been forwarded to Mr. Johnson by Denmark authorities. It will be remembered that the king of Denmark would not surrender "Rattlesnake" Pete to this government. The communication received by Secretary Gresham stated that they preferred to punish him there. It will be seen how well they have done their work. "Rattlesnake Pete" should have stayed here and taken a year or two in the Laramie penitentiary. (Laramie Boomerang, June 8, 1893)

The coins stolen by "Rattlesnake" Pete are again in the possession of their rightful owner, C.F. Johnson. Sherriff Hansen the latter part of last week received them and Mr. Johnson came up from Carbon Sunday to get them. The box in which they were shipped bore the address which brought them from the Old Country to Washington, as well as the address which brought them from Washington to Cheyenne. The address put on in Denmark was: "W. T. Greshouse, secretary of state, Dept. of state, Washington, D.C.," and the address brought them to Cheyenne was: "His Excellency, the Governor of Wyoming, J. E. O'Hosrne, Cheyenne, Wyo." (Rawlins Republican, June 22, 1893)

Mr. C.F. Johnson returned to Carbon Tuesday evening after an absence of five weeks, in the east, where he went in an endeavor to get "Rattlesnake" Pete returned to this country. He failed to do so but will have the coins restored to him. Mr. Johnson looks splendid and evidently took great care of himself while absent. (Rawlins Republican, July 1, 1893)

COFFEE JOHNSON (GERT MILLIKEN FROM GARY MILLIKEN)

C.F. "COFFEE" JOHNSON GENERAL MERCHANDISE STORE in Carbon. COFFEE JOHNSON, WITH A BEARD, IS STANDING IN FRONT OF THE STORE. (GERT MILLIKEN FROM GARY MILLIKEN)

The interior of the store belonging to Ben Jose in 1887, which was later destroyed by a fire which began in the Scranton House. On the extreme left is visiting Dentist Thode of Rawlins. (UPCCEM, May 1945)

Scene behind the C. F. Coffee Johnson's General Store in Carbon (UPCCEM, May 1945)

1894:

1920:

Dan Bulley transcribed his grandfathers journal about his trip from Iowas to California and his passing through Old Carbon in 1920.

February 8, 2022, Dan Bulley wrote: Just saw your website. Here is a short mention of the Carbon area from 1920. My grandfather, Casper Neiser, drove from their Farm in Iowa to California with his aunt and uncle. This is from his journal.

​​“Aug 31, 1920.
We are camping at this place tonight on account of it to being to far to the next town. Speedometer 3615. Only made 111 miles because some of the road was pretty ruff. Left Medicine Bow this morning at 7:30 the first place we went thru was on old mining town name Carbon. It was practically deserted. Some 40 or 50 cabin windows all out and a few falling down. 
Passed and oil well placed stoped about three miles west of Rawlins for dinner at spring at the foot of a mountain. Fine water. Rawlins is over 6000 ft above sea level.” (Casper Neiser, 1920)

1928:
In the News

• A poem was written in Hanna about Carbon. 

Carbon - A Poem

​O, Carbon, how we loved you, forty years ago today;
No one dream’t, old Carbon, that you weren’t on the map to stay.
You were prosperous and thriving, and the people held their own;
Who could tell them that today you’d be standing there alone?
 
Bright lights glittered in the night-time, and the days were busy, too;
Dark clouds always slighted Carbon, and her skies were always blue!
Such a jovial crowd of pioneers were seldom found--
And they’d braved the wilderness of the West to old Wyoming’s ground.
 
Snows or Indians could not scare them, for they had a world of grit;
This frontier life held charm—for heroes do not quit.
There you know’d everybody, and they all know’d you;
No one cared a penny what the other one would do.
 
The women dressed in calico; the men wore old-time jeans;
All of them were genuine and lived within their means.
They traveled with a team and rig—autos were unknown;
And just imagine these plain folks talking o’er a phone!
 
They hadn’t any phonograph, but danced after a fiddle;
The halls were always crowded—where they came from was a riddle.
They danced old-fashioned steps and sang old-fashioned tunes,
And they strolled in the silvery light of real old-fashioned moons.
 
Times have changed beyond description, and they have scattered one and all;
Some have gone to other countries; some have gone beyond recall.
And Carbon, you are shattered; you are dead, you are no more,
And the sight of you, dear Carbon, makes our heart ache to the core.
 
When we go to where you flourished, our spirits are depressed,
To think this hopeless wreck of now was once the very best.
Your houses are all tumbling down, the windows are broken out, 
The doors are standing there ajar, the gophers run about.
 
The streets are full of tumble weeds, the bridges have fallen in,
And quiet reigns where at one time was industry and din;
The coyotes come within the wreck of this down-trodden place,
And howl in cheerless, mournful tones—there’s no one to give chase.
 
The sly jack-rabbits rack away and hide ‘mid the ruins there,
And o’er the whole of Carbon now is the attitude of despair;
The sagebrush flat is just as green, the hills slope toward the sky,
And Carbon now reminds us of the fact that all things die.
 
It used to be that spring winds made music in the air,
But now the night winds sob and sigh around the chimneys bare;
Out on the side hill north of town, a silent city lies,
Where monuments and blocks of stone among the graves arise.
 
‘Tis here that old-time Carbonites return to add another,
For here are resting old and young, the baby and the mother.
‘Tis here that many pioneers of these old times are sleeping;
‘Tis here that some good angel o’er the dead a watch is keeping.
 
So, fare you well, old Carbon, you are crumbling to the dust,
And our hearts ache at your downfall—which we cannot think is just;
And although you’re past redemption, still we reverence your name,
And always, dear old Carbon, we will love you just the same.
​
From Hanna Pioneer (UPCCEM, February 1928)

1929:
In the News

A photo of the remains of the Milliken Opera House at Old Carbon was printed in the Union Pacific Coal Company Employes' Magazine.

John Milliken of Carbon and Hanna (UPCCEM, June 1929)

1941:
In the News

The Stebner family from Hanna and Carbon visited their home in Old Carbon. 

Remains of the Stebner House in Carbon, Sunday September 21, 1941 (Sharrer Family)

Stebner family in front of the remains of the Stebner home in Carbon:
​Left to Right: Martha (Stebner) Mann, Matilda "Tillie" (Stebner) Sharrer, O. G. Sharrer, Unknown. Left to right: Sylvia Mann, J.R. Mann, Ancia Trager, Max Stebner, Fritz Stebner, Child Unknown. 

1949:

Albin Klaseen, Rufus D. Webster and one of the Klaseen Sisters in Old Carbon.

Rufus D. Webster, Albin Klaseen and one of the Klaseen sisters at the Old Carbon Town Site. Memorial Day 1949. Rufust Webster, Albin Klaseen and one of the Klaseen sisters. Photo by Klaseen. (Photo from Daryl Billings. 2023)

On the back of the photo was written: Ruins of Carbon near Hanna, RD and Albin Klaseen and (name not legible). Albin Klaseen (right) and Rufus D. Webster (left) standing on old ruins on the old and defunct town of Carbon, Wyoming. Decoration Day 1949. Photo by Klaseen.

Note: If the picture was taken by Klaseen, it probably was taken by John's sister Anna or Edna Klaseen. The person next to John is probably the other sister. 

On the back of the photo was written: Rufus D. Webster, and I at the ruins of Old Carbon, Wyo. Decoration Day Day 1949 after delivering the Decoration Day address in the Carbon Cemetery to several hundred people. (Photo by Klaseen.)

Rufus D. Webster at the Old Carbon Town Site. Memorial Day 1949. Photo by Klaseen. (Photo from Daryl Billings. 2023)

1945:
In the News

• The article, Building For a Ghost Town by Marjorie Bailey, appeared in the May 1945 issue of the Union Pacific Coal Company Employes' Magazine.

Building For a Ghost Town
by Marjorie Bailey
UPCCEM, May 1945.

​ 
Splashed across the annals of Wyoming are countless and highly picturesque records of expansion westward by the Union Pacific. Motion pictures have taken up the cry and heavy volumes have embroidered glittering words upon the cloth of the West.
But only isolated facts can be found concerning the ephemeral clapboard villages which made possible silver rails. Carbon, Wyoming, born in the Mauve decade, was one of these unfortunate path-breaker towns; now only an occasional date or statement sprinkled among yellowed journals remains to tell a story. 

The curtains were yet to be drawn upon the colorful pageant of black gold in the West when General Fremont passed through Wyoming less than eighty years ago. His little band noted coal formations containing many fossil bones of dinosaurs and fresh-water shells dating from the period when Wyoming was submerged by water; yet in 1867 there was not a single coal miner within the borders of the state. Then came the long, shining rails of the Union Pacific cutting a slim, glistening line west across the continent. Between 1865 and 1870 as many as 820 miles were completed. The noisy little engines required much fuel and the Union Pacific Railroad Company began to import eager, hard-working miners into the territory. Several hundreds of these toilers made it possible to establish an output of over a million tons of coal before 1890. There was a time when 160 acres of coal land could still be purchased for $10 per acre, unless near a completed railroad, which then doubled the price. Carbon county exceeded one thousand square miles in measurement and Sweetwater County was considerably larger.

The coal resources approached those of Pennsylvania. A high grade of coal that would burn with a bright yellow and steady flame was said to cover one-fifth of the territory when Carbon, one of the most famous ghost towns in the annals of Wyoming, was created by the Union Pacific. A trillion tons of ebony wealth was only a part of the treasure chest of the state. Vast resources were faintly sensed when a high grade of iron ore paint from the mine of John Friend was sold to the Brooklyn Bridge in 1874. 

Carbon was the first mining town established on the railroad; the mines opened in 1868. A deep, rich vein of coal had been discovered just 11 miles south of the present site of Hanna and here flocked the English and the Finnish, the Chinese and the Polish. Mines were opened at Rock Springs, almost simultaneously, under contract with the Wyoming Coal and Mining Company. Famous Mine Number One at Rock Springs employed enough workers to give the village a total of forty persons in the 1870 census.

Carbon inhabited by some 244 persons that same year, while the whole of the county was comprised of little over One thousand persons. Shortly after the opening of the Carbon mines a Union pacific journal carried the statement that “at Carbon Station, about 650 miles west of Omaha, a vein of coal sixteen and one-half feet in thickness is being worked, and about 100 tons of coal taken out per day.” The Union Pacific Railroad took over the operation of the mines in 1874 and important plans were made for the future of this minute beehive. 

The territory surrounding Carbon is packed brimful of historical significance. On the jagged and rocky shoulder of Elk Mountain one of the tragedies of the first transcontinental air race occurred. Joseph “Dangerous Jack” Slade, for whom Slade canyon was named, frequently visited the area. One of the first bands of sheep in Wyoming was trailed from California by Louis Sederlin of Elk Mountain during this remarkable period. The theory of rugged individualism was fact, not fiction. The ruined remains of old Fort Halleck stand at the foot of the mountain which is near Carbon. In 1862 the fort was a vital post and station on the Overland Stage route and furnished soldiers for Indian wars and skirmishes. The site was selected and the post built by Company A, 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, when the stage route was moved southward from the Oregon trail. 

A mirage in a prairie desert could be the term applied to Carbon. The town appeared as if from nowhere and clapboard shanties mushroomed up almost overnight. One of the five roads leading to the renowned Gold Hill district in Carbon County above Encampment, where acres of mineral wealth had been found, was to begin at Carbon. New mining operations, a long new length of railroad track and an unconquered frontier lent a sense of feverish activity to this era.

Reports of the Government Directors in the ‘80s stated that “fourteen tenement houses have been erected at Carbon and twelve at Rock Springs for the whites, and eighteen for Chinese.” The miners drifted and seeped into Carbon during the days of the wagon trains and Indian attacks. “The land of milk and honey” was teeming with buffalo and teamsters were going out of the state to drive in hundreds of heads of cattle into the territory. Rock Springs went through a crimson period culminating in a Chinese massacre on September 2, 1885, and at the same time telegraph lines began to mushroom up along the Overland trail. Names such as Bloody Lake and Rattlesnake Creek told a venomous story in themselves. Carbon was simply named after the immense coal beds upon which it was located. 

The little Chinese with their queues, the English with their accents and the Scandinavians with their coffee grinders and rag rugs, dug caves in the hillsides of Carbon and stuck stovepipes up through their dirt roofs. Others used clapboard lean-tos for temporary refuge. A large cistern furnished the community with an adequate water supply and the railroad hauled the water from Medicine Bow free of charge. Miners dipped it from the cistern and charged twenty-five cents for a powder keg full. Awkward fingers were encountered by the workers when they attempted to carpenter, but not for long after the first attempts were made some fifty or sixty log houses sprinkled the prairie like chessmen on a board. These houses stood the test of time, however, and were later transported to Hanna. 

The problem of providing places of worship was not so easily met. The First Methodist church was blown down three times before a substantial building was raised. The Right Rev. George Randall, who passed through this section of the West, recorded lawlessness which he encountered. He firmly stated that ministers should be at mining outposts as soon as the miners, or sooner if possible. The Reverend Mr. Randall preached his sermons in St. Mark’s church in Cheyenne, and the church was later to become important in the history of Carbon. A bell recalls a fascinating chapter in missionary history. In 1869 and 1870 the Rev. John Cornell, first rector of St. Matthew’s church at Laramie, endeavored to establish a mission at Carbon. This mission gave so much promise of success that Mrs. Mary E. Cox of Troy, New York, was led to give a bell for the projected church. The bell has on one side this inscription: “Troy Bell Factory, Jones & Co., Troy, N. Y., 1870;” and on the other side the following: “Donated by Mrs. Mary E. Cox of Troy, N. Y., to St. Thomas’ church, Carbon, Wyoming Ter. O ye Mountains and Hills, Praise the Lord.” When the bell was completed, there was no church at Carbon in which to hang it. Meanwhile, St. Matthew’s church in Laramie had been built and needed a bell, so the bell intended for Carbon went to the Laramie parish. About the year 1888, when St. Mark’s parish in Cheyenne built a new church, the old St. Mark’s was taken down in sections, loaded on two flat cars, and sent to Carbon where it was set up and used for a number of years. When the Carbon mines became exhausted the little church which went from Cheyenne to Carbon was sold and removed to a ranch between Carbon and Elk Mountain where it is now used as a barn. One of its two roof crosses is possessed by the Hanna church and the other by the Cheyenne church. After St. Matthew’s cathedral received its beautiful chime it no longer needed Mrs. Cox’s bell and the bell was given to the church of Hanna. 

During this era many fly-by-night villages were hastily knocked together along the railroad. They passed as quickly as the trains over the rails and form many colorful pages of western history. This was not so with Carbon. The bustling population took a sheriff, established a bank and located a slaughterhouse just west of town. Immense coal reserves lent a sense of security to the atmosphere and Carbonites prepared for an indefinite period of growth and expansion.

School was taught in the churches in the best manner available. Medical care for the miners and their families was inadequate and antiquated remedies were interspersed with visits from doctors living in Rawlins.

Hotels and stores sprang as if from the soil. The first hotel was called the Wyoming house and Thomas Wardell, Michael Quealy and William Hinion began the store which later sold to Beckwith, Quinn and Company. 

The great and near great of the pioneer West mingled in and around the milling little city. Coal production had skyrocketed to the 30,428-ton mark by 1869. The rough frame saloons catered to such clientele as Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok. Colonel Percy, famous construction engineer for the Union Pacific, was killed by the Indians after holding them at bay with his rifle for three days near the Carbon area. Percy left his name to the present little site and another character of renown, General Sublette, now lies buried near Elk Mountain. 

1891 was a memorable year. Two million tons of coal were being mined in Wyoming, worth five million dollars annually. Coal miners were statistically rated as earning from $2.75 to $5.00 per day, roustabouts $1.50, and bakers, plumbers and cabinet makers from $2.50 on up. Carbon county spread over four million acres and the population of the town of Carbon jumped to peak of 1,140 persons. Mining operations were crude and simple. Timbers were cut on Elk Mountain, hauled to Percy station in wagons, loaded on the train and brought to Carbon. Later they were floated down the Medicine Bow River.

The shaft of Old Number One Mine reached from eighty to one hundred feet in depth. The pockets for storing coal for locomotive use were erected in connection with the tipple so that pit cars could be taken from the cage, the coal pushed to the pockets and dumped in one handling. When the mines flooded, the women sewed sacking together and built dikes. 

A second hotel in Carbon was the Scranton House, which built on an annex in the heyday of the town to house holiday crowds and extra miners. Money passed freely from hand to hand, or hand to saloon, as it were, and the miners collected their monthly pay from the local store where it was stacked on a table in the rear among piles of canned goods.

The Hanna State Bank, oldest of its kind in Wyoming, was first organized as the Carbon State Bank in 1891 with a capital stock of $15,000 and was moved to Hanna in December of 1903. 

Life in Carbon was never dull. The large yellow frame building known as the Finn Hall served for many dances. Later it was rumored to have been carried to Hanna by some two hundred Finnish men.

The Knights of Pythias and Odd Fellows annual balls and calico dances were occasions of prime importance. One fiddler entertained the whole community under the kerosene lamps used for lighting.

Hanna did not receive electric lighting until 1895. Six years before this date plans were being made to abandon Carbon after the discovery of richer coal and Hanna was put on the main line.

By this time Wyoming had produced five million tons of coal worth $9,500,000 and miners were receiving from $35 to $75 per month. The town of Carbon, however, was already beginning to lose its very life blood. The population was slowly diminishing, and the eight hundred mark had been reached as the people filtered away. Even much of the mining machinery of Carbon was moved to the site of Hanna and the superintendent of the mines lived in Carbon for several months following the change.

Hanna mail came in by horse and buggy once a day. One Mr. Baker, photographer, visited Hanna from Carbon on several occasions and set up a tent for business. Groceries were hauled to town by Mr. C. F. “Coffee” Johnson who came twice a week with vegetables and solicited orders. The Carbon blacksmith shop was moved to Hanna and the shoe shop followed. The saloons, which had been the main source of amusement for Carbonites, were the last buildings to be moved. Miners who frequented these establishments allegedly tossed gold pieces at cracks in the floor.

“Dutch Charlie,” train robber, and his like were well known at every bar and the hanging post used in the execution of Charlie stood in front of Milliken’s saloon for many years. Very little remains of the town which was once visited by such neighbors as Chief Washakie and his Shoshoni tribe.

Seven mines were opened and worked and then all the houses were lifted like pasteboard boxes and transported by cart and buggy over more than eleven miles of rough prairie, almost overnight. Hanna residents often hunted sage chickens where they abundantly roosted near the ghost town. In the heyday of Carbon, game was plentiful, and more than two hundred elk grazed in the pasture near town with the mules used by the Company to pull the coal cars.

​An old racetrack has long since disappeared from the brush where miners used to run horses on Sunday afternoon. A second sport in 1883 was the holding of pigeon-shooting contests. The birds were released into the air after tobacco juice had been squirted into their eyes. The Carbon graveyard, which is still visited on Memorial Day by hundreds of people from all over the entire state to pay tribute, stands isolated from the ruins of the old town. Sunken and unmarked graves suggest the remains of travelers who were found scalped by the Indians. People who wish to be interred near old friends and relatives are still buried at Carbon. Travelers at one time carried away many old markers and souvenirs of the locale when the Lincoln highway passed the town. A leaning fence and a thin line of rusty rails, almost alone, remain to suggest the passing of this phase of western settlement. Coal reigned as king for a day, but circumstances rang down the curtain and left but a trace of the stage and the setting. (UPCCEM, May 1945)

Visits to Carbon, Carbon County, Wyoming Aka, Carbon City or Old Carbon
​ A Ghost Town

2000-2021: So, what does Old Carbon look like now? Bob Leathers and Gary Beaver traveled many times to the Old Carbon town site and cemetery to collect information for the Hanna Basin Museum Website. We were interested in knowing why the people came to Carbon and why they stayed in the coal camp even after experiencing what we thought were low wages and harsh living conditions. We discovered that in many cases, the folks were much better off in Carbon than where they originally came from. The following are images and notes of what we found and experienced over the years. (Bob Leathers)

Carbon Plant Life - Flowers and Weeds

Carbon Cemetery Clean Up and Restoration

The Old Carbon Cemetery Outhouse

Ghost Town of Carbon, 2018 (Image by Bob Leathers)

The Carbon Coal Camp is located in the wide-open prairie. No trees for miles and miles around. Living conditions seemed to be harsh and unforgiving. Plenty of wildfire fill the area with sage chickens, antelope, deer and even a few elk. Yes, we even found a few rattlesnakes. 

Carbon. Town Markers. (Gert Milliken from Gary Milliken)

Over time, we discover Carbon was not about its looks or location. It was about the people - the immigrants - the wonderful, generous, independent, kind people - we discovered lived there.

Carbon State Bank. Organized Dec. 9th, 1881. Located on the South West corner of the Union Pacific Store (Image by Bob Leathers)

Folks with a connections to Carbon tried to preserve the history. Richard Fisher was one of those kind and sharing folks we met. He loved Carbon and it showed. He had a part in placing location signs around the area. ​

Rock foundation for the Union Pacific Company Store. (Image by Bob Leathers)

The many rock foundations are impressive - even today. Most of the wood used on the buildings has rotted away or hauled away. Much of it was also burned in campfires built by hunters. The town site was a favorite hunting and camping spot after the closing of the town.

Rock foundation for the Union Pacific Company Store. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Carbon. Sign for Location of the Scraton House Hotel and Saloon. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Carbon Town Site. Scranton House (Image by Gary Beaver Collection)

Old Carbon Town Site. Episcopal Church. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Old Carbon Town Site. Episcopal Church. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Old Carbon Building Foundations, 2018 (Image by Bob Leathers)

Old Carbon Building Foundations, 2018 (Image by Bob Leathers)

Old Carbon Building Foundations, 2018 (Image by Bob Leathers)

Old Carbon Building Foundations, 2018 (Image by Bob Leathers)

Old Carbon Building Foundations, 2018 (Image by Bob Leathers)

Old Carbon Building Foundations, 2018 (Image by Bob Leathers)

Old Carbon Building Foundations, 2018 (Image by Bob Leathers)

Carbon Cemetery

Carbon Cemetery, 2017 (Image by Bob Leathers)

Google Satellite View of Carbon Cemetery, 2017 (Google Maps)

Carbon Cemetery, Memorial Day 2019 (Image by Bob Leathers)

Carbon Cemetery, 2017 (Image by Bob Leathers)