Hanna, Carbon County, Wyoming
The purpose of this website is to help others connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing historical information about Wyoming's Hanna Basin.
Website provided by Bob Leathers for the Hanna Basin Museum
Created August 1, 2010
Website Contact information: HannaBasinMuseum@gmail.com (Attention: Bob)
Created August 1, 2010
Website Contact information: HannaBasinMuseum@gmail.com (Attention: Bob)
miner's cap and light. Hanna Basin Museum (Photo by Bob Leathers)
What's New or Updated on the Hanna Basin Museum Website
New: Under the Discovery tab >Discovery: The Demolition of the Last Dragline at Hanna's Last Coal Mine> The demolition of the Arch of Wyoming's Seminoe II Dragline in addition to some mine production information. (May 4, 2018)
New: Added a tab at the top of the page named Discovery. The tab contains current events or discoveries in the Hanna Basin. (May 5, 2018)
Updated/Returned: Under the Discovery tab >Wyoming Sights> This deleted website was brought back by requests from web viewers in Europe. The pages contain images from around Wyoming. (May 5, 2018)
Updated: Under the Gallery tab >Hanna Schools> new school building images. (May 5, 2018)
New: Under the Coal Miners tab >THE HANNA MINER: At the Bottom of the Mine> A history of Hanna Basin coal mining. The book covers the years 1868 through 2018. (May 1, 2018)
New: Under the Hanna tab >THE HANNA CEMETERY: From the Bottom of the Mine> Cemetery records and information about the Hanna cemetery. (May 1, 2018)
Edited/Moved: Moved from Gallery to Hanna Miners>Bill Becker's Strip Mine Blasting Videos>For a better fit. (May 6, 2018)
Unmarked Graves in the Hanna Cemetery
This Google Earth map shows the Location of some of the many unmarked graves in the Hanna cemetery. Amazingly, after 125 years, the grave locations are still identifiable.
Nuggets from the Hanna Basin History
The Hanna Basin includes the Wyoming towns of Hanna and Elmo, which still exist, and the coal camps of Carbon, Sampo and Dana, which are now ghost towns.
The Hanna Basin mines produced over 220 million tons of coal. The coal, however, came at a tremendous human cost. A staggering 371 coal miners were killed in the Hanna Basin mines while in the process of mining the coal.
The Hanna Basin mines produced coal for 144 years. Coal production started at Carbon in 1868 and ended in Carbon in 1902, which amounted to 35 years of continuous production. Hanna started coal production in 1890 and ended in 2012, for 122 continuous years of production. The two towns overlapped production for 13 years, from 1890 to 1902.
During those years:
The Hanna Basin mines produced over 220 million tons of coal. The coal, however, came at a tremendous human cost. A staggering 371 coal miners were killed in the Hanna Basin mines while in the process of mining the coal.
The Hanna Basin mines produced coal for 144 years. Coal production started at Carbon in 1868 and ended in Carbon in 1902, which amounted to 35 years of continuous production. Hanna started coal production in 1890 and ended in 2012, for 122 continuous years of production. The two towns overlapped production for 13 years, from 1890 to 1902.
During those years:
- 328 of the 371 men killed in the Hanna Basin mines were killed in the Hanna mines. 134 of 328 men killed in the Hanna mines were buried in unmarked graves in the Hanna cemetery. Why were so many men buried in unmarked graves? That question and more explained here.
Hanna Basin Museum
Hanna Basin Museum and Cummings/Crawford Cottage (While Family Collection taken by Bob Leathers, 2015)
Hanna Basin Museum Director: Sarah Jones
Hanna Basin Museum and Historical Society
P.O. Box 252
502 Front Street, Hanna WY 82327
(307) 325-6465
Summer Hours: Friday - Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 PM Winter Hours: Friday 1:00 to 5:00 PM
Summer hours start with Memorial Day and end with Labor Day.
Hanna Basin Museum and Historical Society
P.O. Box 252
502 Front Street, Hanna WY 82327
(307) 325-6465
Summer Hours: Friday - Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 PM Winter Hours: Friday 1:00 to 5:00 PM
Summer hours start with Memorial Day and end with Labor Day.
Coming Up Soon
- Our goal is to honor the history of the Hanna Basin by providing detailed and accurate information.
- We welcome comments and documented corrections and additions to the content on this website.
- We also welcome any pictures, documents or information from our readers that might be helpful in our telling the Hanna Basin story.
- Individuals wishing to use images from this website must first receive permission from the Hanna Basin Museum. Please use the Contact Us page to send requests, comments and information to the museum or send an email to HannaBasinMuseum@gmail.com (Attention: Bob)
Union Pacific Railroad Engine No. 844 in Hanna (Bob Leathers)
