1889-1912: Elmer Larson - The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden

Elmer Larson - Hanna Carpenter
1889-1912: The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden

Notes from Bob Leathers

Hanna, Wyoming Coal Camp

In early 1889: the Union Pacific Coal Company hired Swedish carpenters to build the first coal tipples and miner homes in Hanna. Among the first carpenters hired from Sweden was Elmer Larson.

Elmer Larson - he was actually named hjalmar, but he called himself Elmer in America - was born in 1870 and emigrated to America in 1891. We don't know where he lived all those years but probably around Hanna, Wyoming.

He first worked as a carpenter at the coal company and later he became something more than a carpenter, maybe foreman/supervisor or someone with a little more responsibility than a carpenter.

He returned from Hanna, Wyoming to Sweden in 1912 because his wife's father was killed by a bull, therefor they had to take over the farm here in Sweden. They should have sailed with the Titanic home, but of unknown causes they never did.

Hedda Bolin, then married Larson - she was actually named Hedvig, but she called her self Hedda in America - she was born somewhere between 1873-1883 and emigrated to America around 1900 at about 17 years old. She met Elmer Larson in America and they where married there. (David Eriksson, Sweden)

The following images sent to Bob Leathers from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden are truly magnificent. They provide us with new and important details about the history of Hanna.

Elmer Larson

Elmer Larson. Hanna Carpenter (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Union Pacific Coal Company's Hanna Coal Camp

Hanna, Wyoming Drawing (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Hanna, Wyoming. Early Years (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Hanna. Union Pacific Coal Company. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Hanna. Linden Hall. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine in Hanna

More at: 1889 - 1909: Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine at Hanna, Wyoming

Union Pacific Coal Company No 1 Mine in Hanna. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Union Pacifc Coal Company No. 1 Mine After 1908 Explosion (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Dismantling of Union Pacific Coal Company No. 1 in Hanna after the 1908 Explosion (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Hanna Mine Development. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Hanna. United Mine Workers Parade. Honoring the dead from the Explosion of Hanna Mine No. 1. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Hanna. Grave of Oscar and Olaff Jacobson from Sweden. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 2 Mine in Hanna

More at: Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 2 Underground Mine at Hanna, Wyoming

Hanna. Carpenter's Shop. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Hanna Mine No. 2 Dump Blueprints. 1906. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

1906: The blueprint above show the details for a new Dump/Tipple built for the No. 2 mine. The old [original] Dump pictured below ran west to east. The new dump ran north to south.

Mine Development. ( (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Carpenter Work on Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 2 Mine in Hanna. Elmer Larson is marked with an X. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Hanna. Hanna No. 2 Tipple Under Development. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

The original Dump for the No. 2 mine is pictured above in the background.

Union Pacific Coal Company Mine Development for Hanna No. 2 mine. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 2 Mine in Hanna. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Hanna Mine No, 2 Under Development. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Original Tipple Before it burned down. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Hanna Mine No. 2 PowerHouse. IMG_4806. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Union Pacific Coal Company No. 4 Mine in Hanna

More at: Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 4 Underground Mine at Hanna, Wyoming

Moving Mine No. 1 to Mine No. 4. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Blue Prints for the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 4 Mine in Hanna. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Cumberland, Wyoming Coal Camp

One of the places Elmer appears to have been in 1900 was Cumberland, Wyoming. A coal camp in southern Wyoming. Cumberland, Wyoming is located about 15 miles south of Kemmerer on the Uinta County line. It was originally called "Camp Muddy." It consisted of four camps, Cumberland No. 1, Cumberland No. 2, South Cumberland, and Cumberland Gap. It was a coal camp much like Hanna. It was wholly owned by the Union Pacific Coal Company.

Cumberland, Wyoming. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Diamondville, Wyoming Coal Camp

Another coal camp Elmer may worked at or visited was Diamondville, Wyoming. 2021: Diamondville still exits today. It is a town in Lincoln County, Wyoming. The Diamondville mine was owned and operated by the Diamond Coal and Coke Company and not the Union Pacific Coal Company. However the Union Pacific Coal Company did own and operate the two Cumberland Mines, No. 1 and No. 2, about 14 miles south of Diamondville.

Diamondville, Wyoming (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Silver King Mine
Park City District, Summit County, Utah

Another place Elmer may have worked as a carpenter was the Silver King mine at Park City, Utah. The Silver King Mine was a silver, lead, and zinc mine located in Summit county, Utah at an elevation of 8,199 feet. (Western Mining History)

Silver City Mine. Park City, Utah. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Park City Utah. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

People and Places

Elmer Larson appears to have moved around during his stay in America. He may of had a connection to a professional photographer during his stay. Elmer's collection of pictures has some awesome images taken in various locations that appear to be in Wyoming, but have not yet been identified.

Men on bikes. About 1900. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Place and People Unknown. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Rock Springs Union. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)

Elmer Larson's Blue Prints

The Elmer Larson collection of images contains blue prints of mine dumps/tipples, mine buildings and mine houses.

Details of Shutes for Union Pacific Coal Company. Jan. 14, 1901. Carbon No. 7 Mine. (The Butvier Collection from Sally Hafdell and David Eriksson in Sweden) (Hanna Basin Museum Website)