1970 - 1983: The Energy Development Company and
​The Resource Exploration Mining Company at Hanna, Wyoming  

Notes from Bob Leathers with contributions from Steve Fogleman, Bill Becker, Jerry Blare and George Lindblade

 Energy Development Company and Resource Exploration Mining Companies​

1969 - 1970 Mine Development
1971 - 1982 Coal Production​

The Energy Development Company started coal production in the Hanna Basin in 1970. The company was involved in mine development approximately a year prior to that.   The company employed a drilling company from Edgemont, South Dakota to do core drilling for the mine's coal studies. The drilling company later became the Resource Exploration & Mining Company and they expanded to do surface mining for Energy Development. The Resource Exploration & Mining Company operated the Rimrock No. 1 and No. 2 surface mines west of Hanna. Rimrock No. 1 started coal production in 1970 and the Rimrock No. 2 followed in 1971. Coal production for both mines ended in 1983. The two mines were in production for 14 years. Over those years the two Rimrock Mines produced a total of 7,858,518 tons of coal with no work related deaths. The two mines had a peak employment in 1978 of 82 workers. Energy Development Company, operated the Vanguard No. 1 and Vanguard No. 2 underground mines.Vanguard No. 1 opened production in 1971 and closed in 1973.  Over the three years of production Vanguard No. 1 produced 706,634 tons of coal with a peak employment of 115 workers. In 1971, Charles Price was killed at the mine. The Hanna Miner's Monument in the Hanna Cemetery indicates that Gary Oviatt and Tom Yabeny were both killed in the Hanna mines. They were both seriously injured in the Vanguard No. 1 Mine in 1972, but not killed. The monument is in error. The Vanguard No. 2 mine started production in 1974 and ended production in 1982. It produced a total of 3,093,884 tons of coal over 9 years, with a peak employment of 233 workers in 1979. The underground mine experienced four deaths:  Daniel Blanton in 1979, Dale Hulse in 1981, Cordel Renfrow in 1982, and Steven Olives in 1982.

The local mining maps show four Rimrock mines. The Wyoming Mine Inspector Reports from
1970 - 1983 provided coal production numbers for only two Rimrock mines, Rimrock No. 1 and Rimrock No. 2. The assumption is that Rimrock three and four were added to the production numbers of mines number 3 and 4.

• More at: 1 man killed in the Vanguard No. 1 mine

• More at: 4 men killed in the Vanguard 2 mine

​Coal Rush Days

The rumble of heavy construction equipment, interrupted only by the rhythmic clackety-clack of Energy Development coal cars are the sounds of growth for the citizens of the small mining town of Hanna, Wyoming. The sense of economic growth fairly permeates the crisp Wyoming air and at the heart of the town’s new prosperity is Energy Development Co., a subsidiary of the Iowa Public Service Company. Where only a few years ago the prairie reigned, unfettered by man or machine, today there stands a large, modern office building which houses the Energy Development headquarters and offers ample space for the citizens of Hanna to meet in the tastefully decorated community room. Striking Contrast As one steps outside, a new housing development site can be seen. Many of the new homes are completed and occupied while others are under construction. To the native Hanna resident, the sight must be a bit surprising, for nearby are old wooden stores, abandoned dozens of years ago, while the contemporary tract homes—some of them modular—seemingly to have sprung directly from the prairie floor. In striking contrast, a sheep wagon stands atop a hill only a mile or two away from the new housing site. The housing project, like many other construction projects in the Hanna, is being developed by Energy Development. The new homes will offer comfortable, attractive and convenient living quarters for nearly 30 Energy employees and their families. Soon housing will be needed for twice that many people as Energy Development strides forward in developments of its Hanna mining site. But the in-town projects seem few in number when one begins to explore the mining areas now controlled by Energy Development. LeMoyne Jones, general mine foreman, seems to know every foot of every mile between the Hanna office and the big mine which he calls his headquarters. As he urges his new pickup truck over bumpy roads and atop rocky hillsides, he points out dozens of new projects--some nearly completed and others barely out of the planning stages. Such unfamiliar terms as “temporary load-out,” “Jeffrey continuous miner,” and “spur line,” may mean little to the average person, but to Jones and his associates, they spell everyday work in a mechanized world. Running alongside the temporary heavy equipment road is a new spur line being constructed by the Union Pacific railroad. When completed, approximately 100 coal cars will shuttle through the load-out area every three days, bringing the low-sulfur coal to IPS where it will be used to produce energy without sacrificing clean air. Until the spur is completed, a temporary load-out facility hums and buzzes with the movement of end loaders dumping coal into the hopper. In only two ten-hour shifts, 4,000 tons of coal can be loaded into rail cars, but capacity will be doubled when the new facilities are completed. ​(Floodlight, Iowa Public Service Co., March 1971)

Energy Development's and Resource Exploration's
​Tipple / Dump Number One West of Hanna

Energy Development Company was responsible for the underground mining and Resource for the open pit mining. The Energy Development Company did not own much heavy equipment. The Resource Exploration & Mining Company provided all the heavy equipment for road construction and overburden removal. Resource also did all the drilling, blasting and coal removal at the open pit mines. Energy owned and operated all the Tipple / Dump operations which were shared by both mining companies. 

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Tipple/Dump Site Map. The Site was Next to the abandoned Rosebud Tipple used in the early 1960's. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Start Up, magazine and trailer. June 1970 (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Tipple House. June 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. First Dump Site. June 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Setting Crusher Forms. March 1970. Curt Brown and Jerry Meranda. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Setting the Crusher. June 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Crusher Set. Fogie Observing. June 1970, (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Installing the Conveyor from the Crusher. June 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Crusher and Conveyor Set. June 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Derailment of Union Pacific Engine near the Crusher and Conveyor Set. 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Stipping For Coal. June 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Energy Express Way. June 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman) Collection)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Exposed Coal Seam. June 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman) Collection)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Setting Charges to Blast the Coal Seam. Aug. 1, 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Coal Seam Ready to be Shot. Dust Devil in the Background. July 15,1970 (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming.. Energy Development Company. Blasting the Coal. July 15, 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. First Load of Coal Hauled to the Dump. July 15, 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Loading the Coal Feed Belt. July 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Loading the Railroad Coal Cars. July 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. First Train of Coal Shipped from Hanna. July 1970. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Energy Development's & Resource Exploration's Tipple / Dump Number Two West of Hanna

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Second and Much Larger Dump West of Hanna. Unit Train Loading Coal. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Second Dump. Unit Train Loading. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Second Dump. Dump Used By Both Energy and Resource. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleson)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Second Dump for Both Energy and Resource. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Company. Second Dump Used By Energy and Resource. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Hanna, Wyoming. Energy Development Coal Company. Dump for Energy"s Vanguard Underground Mines. (Milan "Fogie" Fogleman)

Energy Development's Vanguard Underground Mine

1970's: George Lindblade's Photo Collection of Energy Development Company
​ in Hanna,Wyoming

The Energy Development Company's underground coal mine in Hanna was a subsidiary of the Iowa Public Service. 
Mr. George Lindblade traveled to Hanna several times in the 1970's to take photographs of the mine for the service company. He was generous to share his photographs with the Hanna Basin Museum Website.

Iowa Public Service - Energy Development Company

​Coal
Iowa Public Service has owned its own coal mining subsidiary in south central Wyoming since 1968. This operation continually assures IPS of a source of low-sulphur fuel which is vital to the Company and to its customers. More than 1.4 million tons of coal were mined and shipped into the IPS system in 1977 by its subsidiary, Energy Development Co. Approximately 70% of the coal mined to date has been surface mined; the remainder is deep mined. The Company is considering using the longwall method in its underground mines. This method, which would increase productivity and reduce manpower, utilizes a series of moving hydraulic roof supports and a rotary device to shear the coal off the mine face.
 
New Reserves
Drilling permits with options to lease have been signed for additional surface mining reserves in the Knobs area near Rawlins, Wyoming. Test drilling has been completed and an additional 3.5 million tons were added to reserves in November 1977. Nominations for Federal Government sections in this area have been made, which would add additional reserves. One additional section of land was acquired in the Knobs area during the year. IPS has entered into a joint venture with Rocky Mountain Energy Company with the prospect of obtaining an additional estimated 100 million tons of surface coal. The potential reserves of low-sulphur coal are located in the Red Rim area of Carbon County, Wyoming.
 
Washing Coal
A coal washing plant at the underground mine site was completed during 1977. The $1.8 million plant will wash 180 tons of coal per hour, removing ash and dirt.
 
Protecting the Land
Reclamation of all mined land is an important part of the mining process of Energy Development Co. As an area is mined, top soil is set aside, then replaced, seeded and fertilized. The process not only preserves, but also improves Wyoming’s land. (Floodlight, Iowa Public Service Co., March 1971)

Coal Conveyor Belt extends 3 miles for Energy Development Co. Mine to 100 car coal train (Floodlighjt, March 1972)

1. (George Lindblade Collection)

2. Oates Briggs. (George Lindblade Collection)

3. (George Lindblade Collection)

4. Oates Briggs at the Check Board. Also called the Tag Board. (George Lindblade Collection)

Each miner had a tag number. If the miner was out of the mine, the tag would be on the outside board. If the miner was underground, the tag would be placed on the inside mine board.

5. Image of the Tag Board for the Energy underground mine. (George Lindblade Collection)

6. Oates Briggs loading up his inside Hard Hat Light for inside the mine. (George Lindblade Collection)

7. Charging Station for the Hard Hat Lights. (George Lindblade Collection)

8. Koehler Safety Lamps. (George Lindblade Collection)

The Koehler Safety Lamps were carried by the Mine Supervisors and Fire Bosses to check for gas in the mine. One man was designated to check the mine for gas prior to a work day.

​The Koehler Manufacturing Company produced this safety lamp during the 20th century. The lamp is marked “Permissible” meaning that it was approved for use by the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Mines. This lamp employs a Pyrex enclosure to protect the flame from extinguishing, wire gauze in the top-interior to keep the flame from escaping, and a metal bonnet exterior that serves both purposes. (National Museum of American History)

9. Oates Briggs equipped for an underground visit. (George Lindblade Collection)

10. Several men hanging the umbilical cord - electrical cable - needed to power the underground machinery. (George Lindblade Collection)

11. A CM12 Joy Continuous Miner. (George Lindblade Collection)

The CM12 continuous miner, with a solid-head cutting head system, featured a 965 mm (38 in.) conveyor width for standard width entry applications. The CM12 series continuous miners, were designed specifically to make efficient use of the additional space available in higher seam heights by offering improved outboard access to all major components. (Komatsu.com)

12. This piece of machinery was known as the Scoop. It was an underground front end loader designed for cleaning up and loading coal. (George Lindblade Collection)

13. (George Lindblade Collection)

14. A Roof Bolter designed for attaching mesh to the mine roof to prevent falling coal. (George Lindblade Collection)

A significant development in the Hanna underground coal mines from the old days was the introduction of roof bolting. Roof bolts were found to be more effective than the wood timbers they replaced. Roof bolts and meshing dramatically reduce the number of roof fall accidents, which proved to save hundreds of lives each year. Roof bolting also helped accelerate the transition to trackless, rubber-tired face haulage as seen below.

15. A rubber tired Man carriage was used for transportation in and out of the mine. (George Lindblade Collection)

16. (George Lindblade Collection)

17. Briggs and Smith underground. (George Lindblade Collection)

18. Joy coal loading machine (George Lindblade Collection)

19. (George Lindblade Collection)

20. (George Lindblade Collection)

21. Ashley and Briggs. (George Lindblade Collection)

22. The Tail end of the continuous miner at work. (George Lindblade Collection)

23. (George Lindblade Collection)

24. Tom Olivas driver of the mining machine. (George Lindblade Collection)

25. (George Lindblade Collection)

26. Tail of the continuous miner. Sandoval, the mechanic, is standing. (George Lindblade Collection)

27. Koler Flame Safety Lamp attached to a miner's waist to detect gas in the mine. (George Lindblade Collection)

28. Oates Briggs. (George Lindblade Collection)

29. (George Lindblade Collection)

30. (George Lindblade Collection)

32. (George Lindblade Collection)

33. (George Lindblade Collection)

34. (George Lindblade Collection)

35. Barb Boam and another unknown worker loading supports for the underground mine. (George Lindblade Collection)

36. Barb Boam, thought to be the first woman to work inside an underground coal mine in Hanna. (George Lindblade Collection)

37. (George Lindblade Collection)

38. (George Lindblade Collection)

39. A Stanley feeder and joy shuttle car at work. (George Lindblade Collection)

40. (George Lindblade Collection)

41. Doug Smith leaving the mine and checking the time. (George Lindblade Collection)

42. (George Lindblade Collection)

43. (George Lindblade Collection)

44. Continuous Miner at work. (George Lindblade Collection)

45. (George Lindblade Collection)

46. (George Lindblade Collection)

47. (George Lindblade Collection)

48. (George Lindblade Collection)

50. Doyce "Tarzan" Easterling. (George Lindblade Collection)

51. Oates Briggs. (George Lindblade Collection)

52. Jeep transport in and out of the mine. (George Lindblade Collection)

53. Bath House at the mine. (George Lindblade Collection)

Energy Development Company at Hanna, Wyoming
Images by George Lindblade for the Iowa Public Service Company Annual Report 1977

Images by George Lindblade from the Iowa Public Service Company Annual Report 1977

Hanna Energy Development Coal Company Office Building Which Is Today The Hanna Town Offices (While Family Collection by Bob Leathers)

Hanna Energy Development Coal Company's Office Building Which Is Today the Hanna Town Office (While Family Collection by Bob Leathers)

Resource Exploration Coal Mining Company - Responsible​For Drilling and Blasting the Coal

Hanna Resource Exploration Mining Coal Company's Office Which Is An Apartment Building Today (While Family Collection by Bob Leathers)

1976
​Resource Exploration's Rimrock Open Pit Mine, Just West of the ​Hanna Cemetery

Resource Exploration developed an open pit mine just west of the Hanna cemetery in about 1976. The company used some of the most advanced and modern equipment available at the time to develop the mine. The mine company purchased the H241 Demagogue shovel, pictured below, for loading coal and rock. It was the largest hydraulic shovel in the world at the time.

The H241 Demag shovel used at the Rimrock mine was at the time the largest hydraulic shovel in the world. Jerry Blair and his pickup is pictured with the Demag. Jerry was also the operator of the shovel. (Jerry Blair Collection)

Large equipment was need to remove the dirt and rock covering the coal seam. (Jerry Blair Collection)

Large equipment was need to remove the dirt and rock covering the coal seam. (Jerry Blair Collection)

Large scrapers uncovered the coal seam. (Jerry Blair Collection)

Large dozers piled the earth for removal. Elk Mountain is in the background. (Jerry Blair Collection)

Large earth scrapers were necessary to remove the top soil from the coal seam. The top soil was stored for reclamation purposes. (Jerry Blair Collection)

Large equipment was necessary to remove the top soil from the coal seam. (Jerry Blair Collection)

Blasting the rock wall was necessary for removal of the overburden from the top of the pit. (Jerry Blair Collection)

The blast hole rig on the north side of the equipment was operated by Bill Becker. He drilled a blast hole at an angle to protect the power lines above the pit from flying dirt and rock. (Jerry Blair Collection)

Bill Becker Collection

Shooting overburden at the Rimrock mine.
​The videos and still images below are from the Bill Becker Collection.

Hanna, Wyoming. Resource Exploration Mining Company.Blasting Overburden at the Rimrock Mine. (Bill Becker Collection)

Hanna, Wyoming. Resource Exploration Mining Company. Blasting Overburden at the Rimrock Mine. (Bill Becker Collection)

Resource and Energy Mine Maps

Resource Exploration's Rimrock Mine Locations West of Hanna

Maps from Google Earth by Bill Becker

Rimrock No. 1

Rimrock No. 2

Rimrock No. 3

Rimrock No. 4

The Vanguard No. 2 Underground Mine started production in 1974 and ended production in 1982. During Vanguard No. 2's nine years of operation, it produced 3,093,884 tons of coal with a peak employment in 1979 of 233 workers. In 1979 Daniel Banton, 1981 Dale Hulse, 1982 Cordel Renfrew, and 1982 Steven Olivas were killed in the Vanguard No. 2 underground mine. (Hanna Basin Museum)

Vanguard No. 1 opened in 1971 and closed in 1973. Over the three years of production, Vanguard No. 1 produced 706,634 tons of coal with a peak employment of 115 workers. In 1971, Charles Price was killed at the mine. The Hanna Miner's Monument in the Hanna Cemetery indicates that Gary Oviatt and Tom Yabeny were both killed in the Hanna mines. They were both seriously injured in the Vanguard No. 1 Mine in 1972, but not killed. The monument is in error. (Hanna Basin Museum)