1898: Hanna Bands

Hanna Music and Bands

Page by Bob Leathers

1898

1911

Hanna Band: (Standing) G. Lord, Leader; W. A. Briggs, Pete Hedman, Joe Woods, Thomas Love, W. B. Rae, Joe Briggs, Thomas Ratcliffe, J. R. Mann, Dave Brown, S. J. Rodda, Alex Greenwood. Seated: Wynn Groutage, S. Dickinson, W. S. Milliken, William Crombie and J. Chote.

1926

Music could be found in a lot of places in Hanna - even the back yard.

Back Yard Music (Gert Milliken Collection from Gary Milliken)

Another Band Organized
Hanna Steps Out After the Drum

Hanna Band. (Top) W. F. Milliken, Mark Jackson, George Warburton, Charles Stebner, J. Sherratt, Charles Anderson, Bert Travellie (Bottom) H. Brindles, J. R. Mann, J. Dickinson, John Milliken and Joe Briggs

Now comes Hana with a newly organized band, with shining new instruments and heaps of enthusiastic plans = and a goodly number of experienced bandsmen. It has already played two public appearances the picnic of the Hanna Old Timer; Club and the Labor Day celebration, when it led the parade arranged by the United Mine Workers of America. in Hanna. Not so very lo9ng ago we heard the prediction that at some future Fourth of July we should hear several bands crash out a musical acclaim of the day We probably will - or we may have a band number musical contes added to the day's events of the Old Timers' celebration. (UPCCEM, October 1926)

1927

Hanna Band in the Hanna Park, 1927 (Gert and Rob Milliken Collection from Gary Milliken)

Hanna Band (Gert Milliken Collection from Gary Milliken)

1928

Hanna Band at the 1928 Old Timers' Celebration in Rock Springs (UPCCEM, July 1928)

Hanna. Hanna Band Drum Major, T. H. Butler. Superintendent of Hanna Mines (UPCCEM, Jully 1928)

Hanna Band at 1928 Old Timers' Parade in Rock Springs (UPCCEM, July 1928)

1929

The Hanna Band in Rock Springs Old Timers' Day (UPCCEM, August 1929)

1930

Hanna Band at Old Timers' Day in Rock Springs (UPCCEM, Jule 1930)

1938

Hanna Miner Band Makes Trip to Cheyenne

Through the courtesy of the Company and the business men of Hanna and Elmo, the Hanna Miners’ Band was enabled to accept the invitation extended by the committee to participate in the Frontier Days Celebration in Cheyenne, July 29th. Leaving Hanna at 5:30AM, the band arrived in Cheyenne at 9 o’clock, and immediately proceeded to 24th and Capitol Avenue for the start of the parade. Our band shared honors with the Ogden Union Pacific Band in leading the Union Pacific section in the parade. The line of march extended from the State Capitol Building through the business district and back to the Capitol, a distance of approximately three miles. The band, led by the Misses Donna Jean Jones and Elaine Tavelli, who were appropriately dressed in white slacks, black shirts and hats, bearing ribbons advertising Hanna coal, made a very smart appearance.

After lunch, the band, having been invited to play at Frontier Park for the Rodeo, proceeded directly to that point, where they participated in the grand parade which opened the afternoon show. En route to their seats in front of the grandstand, they found, much to their chagrin, these were occupied by a group of Sioux Indians. Led by “Colonel” Henry Jones, the band fearlessly attacked in an endeavor to recover the lost property, but had much the same result as did General Custer in his last fight with the same Indians. The Hanna organization reluctantly accepted their benches, meanwhile keeping a watchful eye on the wily Redskins. After the show, the band left immediately for home, stopping only in Laramie for dinner. The only sad note in the day’s events was the fact that Mr. Thomas Butler, who was asked to act as drum major, was confined to his home in Rock Springs and was unable to make the trip. The members of the band send him their heartiest wishes for a speedy and complete recovery, and hope he will be with them on their next trip.
                              — A.T, Henkall, Jr.
                                 Jack Lee, Jr.
                                 Carlyle Pomeroy
(UPCCEM, September 1938)

Hanna Miner Band. Cheyenne. (UPCCEM, Sept. 1938)

Hanna Band Journeys Abroad

In the early hours of the morn, when good people are peacefully sleeping, The Band members, who are not sleeping people, started to Cheyenne via the Hanna school bus and private cars, on July 25th. Enroute a short reveille concert was given to the citizens of Laramie. Although it was early in the day, an appreciative audience had stopped to listen before it was time to move on.

After playing, almost continuously, “The Beer Barrel Polka” in the parade, all of the members went to the Lion’s Park to enjoy a picnic. There we had the pleasure of serenading “Miss Frontier,” who asked as a special request that the Band play the “Beer Barrel Polka” for her. This was as pleasurable for the Band as it was for “Miss Frontier,” since a theme song is good advertisement. We arrived at Frontier Park early to get our seats before the Indians did. While waiting for the show, we played a few selections for the audience including the “Beer Barrel Polka!” These were played so well that we were asked to march in the “Parade of Contestants,” which we gladly did, even though we saw our chairs rapidly being filled by “redmen.” Remembering the losing fight we had with these same “redmen” last year, we sat on the grass. Immediately after the rodeo, a roll call of the Band was taken and the trip home was started.

It is with a great deal of pleasure that we call attention to the fact that, though this trip was made during the middle of of the Hanna vacation, almost the entire personnel of the Band planned their holidays so that they could be in Cheyenne to play. It is this fine spirit that has been the prime factor in making the Hanna Band one of the most popular bands in this part of the state. (UPCCEM, October 1939)

1939

Our Motto, “Tho’ we don’t have much money, let’s have a lot of fun.” And to Douglas

On September 9th, twenty-six members of the Hanna Band left there on a two-day trip to the State Fair at Douglas, Wyoming.
Due to the past experience of “early rising’ on the Cheyenne trip, the Band decided to try the only other alternative, and left at 5:30 in the afternoon. The trip to Wheatland was very uneventful except for the wonderful scenery, mountains, several head of deer, lovely ranches and farms—uneventful but for the paper-wad fight by the younger members of the Band—uneventful except for jokes told by Old Timer Brindley—uneventful except for the loss of part of an uniform—Oh yes, it was a very uneventful trip!

Hanna Band at Douglas (UPCCEM, Oct. 1939)

Because of the hour when we arrived in Wheatland, it was decided that we would give a concert there, stay overnight—if they would let us—and proceed to Douglas the next morning. They let us stay, but who can say what will happen if we should try again! A strolling concert was given in Douglas shortly after we arrived, after which a picnic was had by the members. The parade in the afternoon led directly to the Fair Grounds, where a rodeo progressed most of the afternoon. The several bands in the stands played through the program.