102:
612:
145:. Green grass now covers most of the hill that was once the entrance to Mine #1. This mine is now but a tomb marked with a now rusty ribbon of an abandoned railroad line. Numerous reclamation projects to protect the overlying community from mine subsidence related issues have been performed by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality's Abandoned Mine Land Division since the 1980s.
122:
The 1908 double explosions left 31 widows and orphaned 103 children. In settlements with Union
Pacific Coal Company, each widow who lived in Hanna got $ 800 plus $ 50 for each child. Widows who returned to their homelands abroad got $ 350. The settlement barred any future claims against the company.
118:
to gather in rooms already mined while miners are digging for coal deeper in the mountain. Had Union
Pacific dug deep into the mountain first and mined the coal on their way back toward the surface, they would have been able to flood mined rooms with water. This would have prevented the buildup of
113:
After the 1908 blast, the
Wyoming state inspector blamed Union Pacific Coal Company's method of mining for the disaster. It was called "gouging", a system in which coal is mined immediately after the mine is opened, because it yields coal more quickly at the start of the operation. Gouging allows
311:
Stebner, Charles M. Letters to Dear Dan. Laramie: privately published, 1989. This is
Charlie Stebner’s memoir about his family—Hugheses and Stebners—and about life in Hanna in the first half of the 20th century, including many photographs. The central figure in the book is Charlie’s mother, Mary
328:
Roberts, Phil. "Frontier
Wyoming’s Most Dangerous Occupation: The Quest for Mine Safety in Wyoming’s Coal Industry." Details Wyoming coal mine disasters and government attempts at reform from the earliest days through the 20th century. This is one of many pages on University of Wyoming History
109:
On March 28, 1908 the Hanna Mine #1 exploded again, trapping 18 miners. As the state mine inspector and 40 rescuers entered the mine, a second explosion occurred and killed all 59 inside. Recovery teams eventually removed 27 bodies, but another 32 were left in the mountain. With the 1903 blast
92:
was the greatest loss of life in any
Wyoming mining disaster. The mine's bosses blamed the accident on a careless miner and, because of a coal strike in Colorado, Union Pacific Coal Company reopened mine #1 a few months later.
318:
Anderson, Nancy. "Hanna." Unpublished manuscript, 2007. Hanna, Wyo. Part of
Anderson’s work will appear in a new book on Wyoming’s Red Desert and surroundings, edited by Annie Proulx, due from the University of Texas Press in
135:
in mine #1 before the creation of safety teams, safety laws or even the implementation of safety inspections. Just weeks before each blast, company mine inspectors gave Mine #1 glowing safety reviews.
281:
84:
The disaster at the Union
Pacific Coal Company Hanna mine #1 occurred on June 30, 1903. Coal mine gas (methane) was ignited in Mine No. 1 causing a violent explosion and a mine
61:
was founded and built by the Union
Pacific Coal Company for its workers and their families, and the Union Pacific owned everything in it, including the boarding house, the
237:
315:
Allen, James B. The
Company Town in the American West. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1966. A good general discussion, with specifics on Hanna pp. 53–57.
353:
494:
81:
In those days, coal was mined by dynamite and the backs of men loading it into donkey-drawn carts. Men worked long hours in the dark, faces covered in black dust.
88:, killing 169 miners, while 46 survivors narrowly escaped this disaster. Many bodies, recovered over the next year, are buried in the nearby Hanna Cemetery. This
540:
404:
596:
322:
Kalisch, Philip A. "The Woebegone Miners of Wyoming: A History of Coal Mine Disasters in the Equality State." Annals of Wyoming, Vol. 42 No. 2, October 1970.
308:
Groutage, Lorenzo. Wyoming Mine Run. Kemmerer, Wyoming: Published by the author, 1981. A memoir of life in the coal mines and coal towns of Lincoln County.
138:
After 1908, the Union Pacific Coal Company permanently closed Mine #1. The Union Pacific Coal Company opened new mines in Hanna, hiring new miners.
676:
671:
339:
666:
661:
278:
397:
636:
101:
390:
216:
192:
266:
245:
224:
200:
30:, United States, caused a total of over 200 fatalities. The 1903 incident was Wyoming's worst coal mining disaster.
325:
Larson, T.A. History of Wyoming. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1965. 113-115, 142, 196, 230, 298, 336-337.
631:
651:
641:
345:
590:
568:
258:
153:
A memorial to miners killed in Hanna and Carbon County is located at Hanna Junction, northeast of highway
580:
47:
476:
446:
434:
382:
65:
and the miners' houses that were rented to them by the month. Hanna was a major hub of the emerging
656:
646:
528:
422:
522:
574:
544:
488:
452:
39:
27:
586:
534:
470:
42:
needed a reliable fuel source to run its massive coal-fired engines. After the coal mines in
141:
All of the Hanna mines closed in 1954 due to the Union Pacific Railroad's switching over to
562:
504:
464:
458:
301:
8:
510:
279:"1908 Hanna Mine Disaster Victims Buried In Hanna Cemetery In Unknown or Nameless Graves"
516:
440:
428:
142:
556:
550:
498:
262:
241:
220:
196:
154:
132:
238:"Rocky Mountain heartland: Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming in the twentieth century"
176:
57:, a member of Union Pacific Company management and an Ohio United States Senator.
600:
346:
U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Hanna Number One Mine
285:
89:
43:
70:
58:
625:
368:
355:
62:
131:
In the five-year period from 1903 through 1908, 228 had died in these two
23:
110:
leaving 169 men dead in the mine, 201 men are still buried there today.
54:
412:
66:
115:
85:
329:
Professor Phil Roberts’ useful website on Wyoming history.
105:
Memorial services held at Mine No. 1 on March 28, 1910
340:
Coal Mine Fatality Records for Hanna, Carbon, Wyoming
302:"Thunder under the House: The Hanna Mine Disasters"
69:of the day with the Union Pacific Railroad and the
413:Deadliest coal mine disasters in the United States
179:. Coal Camp Photos, From Wyoming Tales and Trails
623:
53:Chimney Springs was renamed Hanna in honor of
398:
18:Two separate explosions in 1903 and 1908 at
211:
209:
405:
391:
195:, Rowman & Littlefield, 1976, p. 230.
206:
100:
507:, Littleton, Alabama, 1911 (128 killed)
172:
170:
126:
677:March 1908 events in the United States
624:
259:"The Chemistry and Technology of Coal"
187:
185:
50:and opened a mine at Chimney Springs.
672:June 1903 events in the United States
485:, 1903 (169 killed); 1908 (59 killed)
386:
240:, University of Arizona Press, 2008.
167:
667:1908 disasters in the United States
662:1903 disasters in the United States
182:
119:methane gas, and saved many lives.
13:
295:
261:, Third Edition, CRC Press, 2012.
14:
688:
333:
177:"Hanna, Towns One, Two and Three"
157:, in a site difficult to access.
637:Coal mining disasters in Wyoming
610:
96:
76:
300:(This list taken from Tom Rea,
46:ran out, it hastily formed the
272:
251:
230:
1:
160:
33:
591:Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania
7:
581:Everettville, West Virginia
284:September 22, 2015, at the
217:"American Trails Revisited"
148:
10:
693:
441:Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania
48:Union Pacific Coal Company
608:
418:
529:West Frankfort, Illinois
551:Johnstown, Pennsylvania
511:Saunders, West Virginia
423:Monongah, West Virginia
67:transportation industry
632:Carbon County, Wyoming
575:Plymouth, Pennsylvania
545:Layland, West Virginia
535:Benwood, West Virginia
495:Frontier Mine disaster
489:Marianna, Pennsylvania
471:Cheswick, Pennsylvania
447:Fraterville, Tennessee
369:41.86611°N 106.54417°W
106:
40:Union Pacific Railroad
28:Carbon County, Wyoming
652:1908 mining disasters
642:1903 mining disasters
587:Mammoth Mine disaster
541:Layland Mine disaster
465:Eccles, West Virginia
104:
563:Pocahontas, Virginia
505:Banner Mine disaster
467:, 1914 (180+ killed)
459:Mather, Pennsylvania
374:41.86611; -106.54417
342:, Hanna Basin Museum
312:Hughes Stebner Ford.
288:, Hanna Basin Museum
127:Closing of the mines
603:, 1892 (100 killed)
597:Krebs Mine disaster
593:, 1891 (109 killed)
583:, 1927 (109 killed)
577:, 1869 (110 killed)
571:, 1947 (111 killed)
569:Centralia, Illinois
565:, 1884 (112 killed)
559:, 1905 (112 killed)
553:, 1902 (112 killed)
547:, 1915 (115 killed)
537:, 1924 (119 killed)
531:, 1951 (119 killed)
525:, 1917 (121 killed)
519:, 1923 (123 killed)
513:, 1972 (125 killed)
501:, 1923 (138 killed)
491:, 1908 (154 killed)
479:, 1924 (171 killed)
473:, 1904 (179 killed)
461:, 1928 (195 killed)
455:, 1900 (200 killed)
449:, 1902 (216 killed)
443:, 1907 (239 killed)
437:, 1909 (259 killed)
431:, 1913 (263 killed)
425:, 1907 (362 killed)
365: /
219:, iUniverse, 2003.
523:Hastings, Colorado
517:Dawson, New Mexico
429:Dawson, New Mexico
257:James G. Speight,
143:Diesel locomotives
107:
619:
618:
557:Hueytown, Alabama
499:Kemmerer, Wyoming
477:Castle Gate, Utah
191:Jay Robert Nash,
73:passing through.
684:
614:
613:
435:Cherry, Illinois
407:
400:
393:
384:
383:
380:
379:
377:
376:
375:
370:
366:
363:
362:
361:
358:
289:
276:
270:
255:
249:
236:Duane A. Simth,
234:
228:
213:
204:
189:
180:
174:
692:
691:
687:
686:
685:
683:
682:
681:
657:1908 in Wyoming
647:1903 in Wyoming
622:
621:
620:
615:
611:
606:
601:Krebs, Oklahoma
414:
411:
373:
371:
367:
364:
359:
356:
354:
352:
351:
336:
298:
296:Further reading
293:
292:
286:Wayback Machine
277:
273:
256:
252:
235:
231:
215:Lyn Wilkerson,
214:
207:
193:"Darkest Hours"
190:
183:
175:
168:
163:
151:
129:
99:
79:
55:Marcus A. Hanna
44:Carbon, Wyoming
36:
12:
11:
5:
690:
680:
679:
674:
669:
664:
659:
654:
649:
644:
639:
634:
617:
616:
609:
607:
605:
604:
594:
584:
578:
572:
566:
560:
554:
548:
538:
532:
526:
520:
514:
508:
502:
492:
486:
483:Hanna, Wyoming
480:
474:
468:
462:
456:
453:Scofield, Utah
450:
444:
438:
432:
426:
419:
416:
415:
410:
409:
402:
395:
387:
349:
348:
343:
335:
334:External links
332:
331:
330:
326:
323:
320:
316:
313:
309:
297:
294:
291:
290:
271:
250:
229:
205:
181:
165:
164:
162:
159:
150:
147:
133:mine disasters
128:
125:
98:
95:
78:
75:
71:Overland Trail
59:Hanna, Wyoming
35:
32:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
689:
678:
675:
673:
670:
668:
665:
663:
660:
658:
655:
653:
650:
648:
645:
643:
640:
638:
635:
633:
630:
629:
627:
602:
598:
595:
592:
588:
585:
582:
579:
576:
573:
570:
567:
564:
561:
558:
555:
552:
549:
546:
542:
539:
536:
533:
530:
527:
524:
521:
518:
515:
512:
509:
506:
503:
500:
496:
493:
490:
487:
484:
481:
478:
475:
472:
469:
466:
463:
460:
457:
454:
451:
448:
445:
442:
439:
436:
433:
430:
427:
424:
421:
420:
417:
408:
403:
401:
396:
394:
389:
388:
385:
381:
378:
347:
344:
341:
338:
337:
327:
324:
321:
317:
314:
310:
307:
306:
305:
303:
287:
283:
280:
275:
268:
267:9781439836460
264:
260:
254:
247:
246:9780816524563
243:
239:
233:
226:
225:9780595282623
222:
218:
212:
210:
202:
201:9781590775264
198:
194:
188:
186:
178:
173:
171:
166:
158:
156:
146:
144:
139:
136:
134:
124:
120:
117:
111:
103:
97:1908 disaster
94:
91:
87:
82:
77:1903 disaster
74:
72:
68:
64:
63:general store
60:
56:
51:
49:
45:
41:
31:
29:
25:
21:
16:
482:
350:
299:
274:
253:
232:
152:
140:
137:
130:
121:
112:
108:
83:
80:
52:
37:
19:
17:
15:
372: /
360:106°32′39″W
116:methane gas
26:located in
20:Hanna Mines
626:Categories
357:41°51′58″N
161:References
34:Background
24:coal mines
38:In 1889,
282:Archived
149:Memorial
90:tragedy
86:cave-in
265:
244:
223:
199:
319:2008.
263:ISBN
242:ISBN
221:ISBN
197:ISBN
155:US30
628::
599:,
589:,
543:,
497:,
304:)
208:^
184:^
169:^
22:,
406:e
399:t
392:v
269:.
248:.
227:.
203:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
