Japanese Monuments In The Hanna Cemetery Transcribed
Transcribed by Ayako and Noriaki Ohara with images and notes from Bob Leathers
The Union Pacific Coal Company in 1954 closed its underground coal mines in Hanna. At that time, the town had a large and vibrant Japanese community located near the No. 2 mine. When the mines closed the Japanese people moved away from Hanna searching for new employment opportunities, but those that died in Hanna were left behind in the cemetery. Some of the Japanese monuments in the Hanna cemetery have been there for over a hundred years. During that time, many people have viewed the monuments and wondered who the people were and where they came from. The monuments are mostly written in Japanese making them unreadable by most visitors. On May 14, 2017, the thirty Japanese monuments in the Hanna cemetery were transcribed by Ayako and Noriaki Ohara. Their work is recorded below and is recorded in the Hanna Cemetery records.
Click on the blue link or gray button to view: Ohara transcribed list of Japanese monuments in the Hanna Cemetery.
Japanese Town
In Hanna it was called Jap Town. It was located near the No. 2 mine and most of the Japanese workers that lived there mined coal in the No. 2 mine. The No. 2 slope ran directly under the town. The Japanese people maintained a large garden during the summer months. (State of Wyoming Archives)
Hanna Basin Museum Japanese Translations in the Hanna Cemetery, May 14, 2017
Click on the center button to play the video.
Images from While Family Collection by Bob Leathers, May 14, 2017
Music: Tanko Bushi, Japanese Coal Mining Folk Song by Mogami Chiyo
Music: Tanko Bushi, Japanese Coal Mining Folk Song by Mogami Chiyo
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