Welcome to the Hanna Basin Museum Website

The best way to locate information on this website is to ​use the search box and subject tabs at the top of this page.

Hanna Decoration / Memorial Day

1912

1912 Decoration Day: the United Mine Workers paraded from the Finn Hall (upper left) in No. 2 Town headed to the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine to honor the men who died in the 1903 and 1908 explosions. The No. 3 in the pictures label below refers to the picture order, not the town number.
Picture
Decoration Day, Hanna No. 3 Town, 1912 (While Family Collection from Bob Leathers)
More at: Hanna Decoration / Memorial Day

New - Elmo

The Western Hotel in Elmo - #20 - was located on First Street next to the Elmo Candy Store - #11. The Elmo Candy store eventually became the second site for the Nugget Bar. Building - #10 - was Arthur Allen's Meat Market.

​Thank you Terri ​(Siltamaki) Schreihart) for this amazing image.
Picture
Western Hotel. Elmo. Not Dated. (Terri (Siltamaki) Schreihart)
More at: ​Elmo's First Street and Other Elmo Businesses and Buildings
​Last Updated: May 16, 2022
​Created: August 1, 2010
- ​12 Years of Sharing -
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. We invite you to explore how the Hanna Basin came to be and how it touched the lives of many. 
Website Provided by Bob Leathers​ ​in cooperation with the Hanna Basin Historical Society
Copyright © 2015. All rights reserved by Bob Leathers. ​​​
Website contact information: HannaBasinMuseum@gmail.com (Attention: Bob)​​​
  • See something on this website that doesn't look accurate or fair, even a typo? Please contact Bob at: HannaBasinMuseum@gmail.com.

What's New or Updated on the Website?

May 2022

May 16, 2022:
May 15, 2022:
May 10, 2022:
May 4, 2022:
May 2, 2022:
May 1, 2022

April 2022

April 24, 2022:
April 23, 2022:
April 22, 2022:
April 14, 2022:
April 12, 2022:
HANNA BASIN MUSEUM AND CUMMINGS/CRAWFORD COTTAGE 
​Mike Armstrong, Public Relations Director
April Avery, Museum Staff

Picture
Cummings - Crawford Cottage and Hanna Basin Museum (Image by Bob Leathers - Hanna Basin Museum Website)
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: Saturday 1:00 to 5:00 PM
Summer hours start with Memorial Day and end with Labor Day.​

Online Information about The Hanna Basin and Hanna Basin Museum

More at: Website to Museum Images and Document Collections
More at: Magazines and Journals
More at: Museum Newsletters
More at: Links to other Museums

The Hanna Miner - A Slideshow

Video from Bob Leathers for the Hanna Basin Museum Website
Music by The O'Neill Brothers Group - Instrumental Country Guitar: Coal Miner's Daughter

Mail From Our Visitors


​It looks great, Bob. You (and anyone else) have really created an amazing website. It is quite a compilation and it gives really interesting looks into what life was like in Hanna for our ancestors. I will try to get you a digital copy of the photo I have of Swan and Olaf Sommarin, taken in Leadville, Colorado. 

Thank you for all that you do to remember our ancestors.

Stay warm.

Sue Larson
Boulder, Colorado
Bob,
​
I was compelled to write and thank you and the Hanna Basin Historical Society for the amazing work you have done on your website.  I visit your site from time to time and I love to read the fascinating history of the Hanna Basin Area and its coal mining roots.  I have a soft spot for coal miners and mining as I spent 17 years working for Black Butte Coal Company in Point of Rocks, Wyoming, from 2001 until I joined the State Mine Inspector's Office in 2018.  I would love to stop by the museum sometime   Again, thank you so much for all you do in preserving the history of that area and its mining heritage.  If there is ever anything this office can assist you with, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Kind regards,  
Heather Kroupa, CMSP
State Inspector of Mines
WY State Mine Inspector's Office
Hi, 

Just wanted to send a quick message thanking you for creating this website.  I can tell alot of thought and work has gone into it. 

My father and his family grew up in Hanna before moving away. He took me back there to visit a few times and really enjoyed it.  I stopped by the museum a few years ago and loved it.  Keep up the good work. 

Thank you,

Craig Wales
Good morning,

My name is Delia Hagen and I'm a Montana-based historian who is working on a project for the Wyoming State Historic Preservation office on Wyoming's African American history and historic places. I know Hanna had a Black community for decades, and Brigida Blasi referred me to Bob Leathers at the Hanna Basin Museum as a knowledgeable source on the subject. 
I'm trying to plan my research and fieldwork for the project, and hope to make a research trip in October. Does the Hanna Basin Museum maintain any collections that might shed light on the history of African Americans in the area (or elsewhere in Wyoming)? Also wondering if you might know of other possibly-relevant repositories, or of any sites in the area related to Black history? Brigida mentioned that there was a Black church in Hanna and that the building might still exist (albeit moved to a different location), which I'd especially love to learn more about.

Thank you for your help.

Best,
Delia Hagen, PhD
Historical Consulting
Gathering
Picture
Gathering. (While Family Collection from Bob Leathers)
Wagon Wheels
Picture
Ranch Wagon Wheels. April 2022 (Bob Leathers. 2022).

Website Guidelines

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