"Just east of Hanna
you might find a few
ruins and a cemetery
where the town of
Carbon stood in the
1860's. Carbon was
a boomtown until the
vein, that was its source
of wealth, played out
and the hardluck
miners moved on."
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The town of Hanna is yet another example of Carbon County’s diversity. Lying as it does in the center of one of Wyoming’s largest and richest coalfields, Hanna has an equally rich past and present. Mining has been the mainstay in this part of the county since coal was discovered here in the late 1800s. A massive old drag-line system still stands as a backdrop to the town, a reminder of days gone by. Two disastrous explosions, one in 1903 and the other in 1908, took the lives of 228 local miners. There is one monument to the victims of the Mine#1 Disasters of 1903, 1908 and 2 monuments to all those who died in the Carbon & Hanna mines. |
 Population: 873 Elevation: 6780 feet |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 This historical drawing of early Carbon is an accurate representation of what Carbon looked like in its earlier coal mining days - 1869.  1898 - Coal Miners (Click photos to for detail) . |
Hanna Then... Hanna is a town with a rich history of hard luck coal miners and the Union Pacific Coal Company. The Union Pacific Coal Company founded Hanna for their workers and their families. Life was hard for the coal miners who lived in and around Hanna but, as photos depict at the Hanna Museum, they always had time for a company sponsored baseball team. It is rumored that more than one unqualified coal miner was hired for his baseball skills. Remnants of the ghost town of Old Carbon lie just south of Hanna. Carbon City was the first coal camp on the line of the Union Pacific Railraod. For history buffs the Carbon Cemetary holds a wonderful record of the Union Pacific coal miners and their families. The Old Carbon Cemetary has recently received funding for a restoration and preservation project to help research and record the lives and deaths of Carbon and Hanna's earliest residents. Hanna was also a major hub of the emerging transportation industry. The Overland Trail and the Union Pacific Railroad all passed through Hanna. The first transcontinental airmail planes flew over Hanna. The Lincoln Highway passed through Carbon and a few miles south of Hanna. Visit the Hanna Museum on your travels through Carbon County for an exploration of Hanna's heritage. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanna Now... The town of Hanna has much to offer. History buffs will enjoy the Hanna Museum which offers an excellent background on the coal company town of Hanna. The Hanna Recreation Center has an Olympic sized pool and a rare Rotary Locomotive on display. Also be sure to visit the three memorials built to honor the miners lost in two explosions, one in 1903 and the other in 1908, which took the lives of 228 local miners. Hanna is the gateway to the activities in the North Country including the famous fishermans' paradise of Miracle Mile. Boating and fishing enthusiests flock to Seminoe State Park to enjoy summer days on the Reservoir. In the fall, Shirley Basin offers great guided and unguided big game hunting opportunities. With the winter season travelers can enjoy snowmobiling and cross country skiing. To the south lies the ghost town of Old Carbon, Elk Mountain and the vast expanse of Medicine Bow National Forest. We hope you'll take the time to visit Hanna, Wyoming soon! |
 Outside of Hanna's Recreation Center sits a rare Rotary Snowplow Locomotive, used to clear snow from the railroad track with the large circular set of blades on its front end. This Rotary Snowplow is number: UP900098 ALCO(COOKE) 12/1917 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Quick Fact Constructed in 1895, the Hanna Community Hall has served the town of Hanna for over a century. Originally named Linden Hall, the building served as a saloon during the town's early turbulent years as an energy boom town and then as a pool hall during prohibition and is the only structure remaining from this period. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
