1869 - 1900: The Union Pacific's No. 2 Mine at Carbon, Wyoming

Notes by Bob Leathers

The Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 underground mine was opened for coal production in 1868. The mine was abandoned in October of 1900. The mine was originally opened as a drift mine. Mules hauled the coal one car at a time, from the workings to the drift. From the drift, the coal was taken by mule power to the tipple. Later, a steam hoist was installed at the intersection of the drift and slope and the one car trip haul was eliminated. A new opening to the mine was made and a new tipple built to handle the coal. The mine produced 1,604,176 tons of coal from 1889 to the end of 1900, with an average of 249 employees.

​The Carbon mines in total experienced 41 documented deaths. It is not known in which Carbon mine 14 of the 41 were killed, but at least 15 of the 41 occurred in the No. 2 mine.

• View the names: 15 men killed in the No. 2 mine

• View the names: 14 men killed in unknown Carbon mines

• View the names: 41 men killed in all the Carbon mines

Carbon City and the Union Pacific's No. 2 Mine

Carbon City with the No. 1, No. 6 and No. 2 Mines labeled. (While Family Collection from Bob Leathers)

Carbon Mine No. 2 (While Family Collection from Bob Leathers)

Carbon Mine Office (Wyoming State Archives)

Union Pacific's Carbon No. 2 Mine Maps

Map of Union Pacific's Carbon Mines. (Map Collection from the Hanna Basin Museum)

Mine Map showing the location of the Union Pacific Carbon No. 3 Mine (Map Collection from the Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Union Pacific Coal Company Mines at Old Carbon, Wyoming (Hanna Basin Museum)

Carbon No. 2 Mine (Map Collection from the Hanna Basin Museum)

Map of Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 in 1882 (Map Collection from the Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Carbon No. 2 underground mine (Mine Map Collection from Hanna Basin Museum)

2019 May: A Visit to the Union Pacific's Carbon No. 2 Mine Site

Bob Leathers and Gary Beaver traveled for the Hanna Basin Museum Website to Old Carbon, Wyoming looking for the Union Pacific's Old Carbon No. 1 Mine site. We set out wanting to know where the Carbon No. 2 Mine was located what might remained. The following are our images and notes of what we found and experienced. (Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 1 Mine Site. The View from the mine dump foundation looking north toward the cemetery. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. Carbon Cemetery lies to the North of the Mine Site. 2019 (Image by Bob Leathers).

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. The view of the Carbon Cemetery from the No. 2 Mine. (Image by Gary Beaver)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. Looking down the railroad bed East to Medicine Bow in the distance. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. Foundation for the Mine Dump. 2019. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. Cement piece of the mine foundation. 2019. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. Cement piece of the mine foundation. 2019. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 mine Site. Wooden Piece at the mine site. 2019. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. Mine Dump Foundation. 2019. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. Bolts and metal rods that once attaced the mine dump to the foundation, 2019. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine. A machine bolt driven into the ground hidden by sagebrush. 2019. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. Dump Foundations and Railroad Location. (Image by Gary Beaver)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. The Rock Wall could have once been an opening to the mine. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Paciic Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. Part of an old rusted rail with spikes and other tipple metal. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 1 Mine Site. Metal part of a building or the Dump. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site Site. Part of the Mine Dump. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. Nuts and Bolts from the Mine. (Image by Bob Leathers)

Union Pacific Carbon No. 2 Mine Site. Underground electrical wires. (Image by Bob Leathers, May 2019)