Hanna's School, Track and Football Field Saved from Sinking
into the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 4 Mine
Page by Bob Leathers
During the year 2019 and early 2020, Hanna town and school officials were alerted to signs the elementary school, high school track and high school football field were sinking into the abandoned coal mine located below the town.
The State of Wyoming was contacted for assistance. Help was provided through Wyoming's Department of Environmental Quality - Abandoned Mine Land Division. Midigation work started almost immediately to resolve the problems. During 2020 - 2022, along with other actions, voidfill grout was pumped into the mine below.
October 17, 2022 the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality - Abandoned Mine Land Division was recognized for an excellent outcome at the National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs conference for reclamation work at the Hanna Elementary School and the adjacent high school track and football field.
October 17, 2022 the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality - Abandoned Mine Land Division was recognized for an excellent outcome at the National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs conference for reclamation work at the Hanna Elementary School and the adjacent high school track and football field.
CASPER, Wyo. — The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Abandoned Mine Land Division was recognized during the Oct. 17 National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs conference for reclamation work at Hanna Elementary School and the adjacent high school track and football field.
The school, track and football field are on top of mine workings in the Hanna No. 4 Mine, the Wyoming DEQ said in a press release Monday. The area experienced routine sinking of the ground, also known as subsidence, due to underground material movement.
The Wyoming DEQ’s Abandoned Mine Land Division undertook efforts to mitigate the subsidence risk in the area in 2020.
“Approximately 42,500 cubic yards of voidfill grout was injected into mine voids under the Hanna Elementary School, football field/track and surrounding areas, enough to fill 13 Olympic swimming pools,” the Wyoming DEQ said.
After the mitigation work was completed, the football field, track, school parking lot and playground equipment were restored.
“This was a very difficult project due primarily to the strict, but necessary, time commitments made to the school district for completion prior to football season,” Don Newton, Wyoming AML administrator, said in the press release. “The coordinated efforts between the Town of Hanna, Carbon County School District #2, Howard Concrete Pumping Co., Inc. and its subcontractors, and Brierley Associates resulted in an excellent outcome for this small community.”
The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement presented the Wyoming DEQ’s Abandoned Mine Land Division with its Western Reclamation Award during the Oct. 17 conference. (Oil City News, Casper, Wyoming, from Brendan LaChance)
Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 4 Mine and Town of Hanna
The Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 4 mine lies directly under the town of Hanna, including the elementary school, high school track and high school football field. When the mine closed, the coal pillars in the mine were not drawn in order to keep the town from settling into the mine. Obviously, time took its tole.
The Union Pacific Coal Company's Hanna No. 4 mine opened mine development on April 4, 1911 and opened coal production in 1912. The No.4 mine was partly built from salvaged parts of the No. 1 mine after the March 28, 1908 explosion. The mine produced only 29,583 tons of coal in its first year. The mine closed production at the end of 1941 when the mining operations were moved out of Hanna to the new 4A mine facility north of town. The mine operated in Hanna for 30 years and produced 10,226,125 tons of coal with a peak work force of 331workers. The Hanna Basin mines (Hanna, Elmo, Sampo, Carbon, Dana, and Wagon mines) experienced a total of 373 miner deaths. The No. 4 mine in Hanna was responsible for 24 of the 373 deaths.
Map of Hanna sitting on top of the No. 4 Mine (Hanna Basin Museum Website)
Hanna No. 4 Mine (While Family Collection from Bob Leathers)
Hanna No. 4 Mine. Trip of Men Going Into the Mine. (While Family Collection from Bob Leathers)