Friday, January 16, 2026 |
Photo – Journeys to 250 – Courtesy Discover Carbon County Wyoming
Governor Mark Gordon announced the final round of 250th anniversary funding.
Yesterday, January 15th, the Governor’s office stated that the Wyoming Semi Quincentennial Planning Task Force had completed the eighth and final round of the Semi Quincentennial Grant Program.
This July 4th marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Wyoming Legislature allocated $2 million to support the state’s celebrations through a series of community grants. Local governments were required to establish their own 250 committees to qualify for the funding.
Here in Carbon County, local author Candy Moulton and museum directors Tom Mensik, Tim Nicklas, Angie Hobbs, and Lela Emmons established the Carbon County 250th Anniversary Celebration Committee. Since its formation last February, the 250 Committee has been developing programs and activities to commemorate the occasion.
One of the first projects is a short documentary film titled Carbon County’s Journeys to 250, which will explore how humans came to inhabit the land that would eventually become Carbon County. Speaking to the Board of Commissioners last April, 250 Committee Chairwoman Candy Moulton said the goal is to have the 28‑minute film broadcast on television and showcased at festivals.
The film will feature interviews with Carbon County residents and include reenactments of three historically significant events: the Stansbury Expedition, during which Jim Bridger surveyed a viable route through what is now Bridger Pass; the Hanna mine disasters of 1903 and 1908, which together killed nearly 230 coal miners; and a reenactment at the historic Virginian Hotel in Medicine Bow highlighting the former Lincoln Highway, the nation’s first transcontinental route.
With an estimated $80,000 price tag, the Carbon County 250 Committee requested a maximum $10,000 grant from the state’s Semi Quincentennial Planning Task Force during the first funding round. The remainder of the money came from the Carbon County Visitors Council, also known as Discover Carbon County. The completed film will premiere at the historic Depot in Rawlins on July 10th, coinciding with the 136th anniversary of Wyoming’s statehood.
Additionally, the Carbon County Museum in Rawlins received a $25,000 state grant to create a new exhibit on Wyoming’s first licensed female doctor, Lillian Heath. Carbon County Museum Director Tom Mensik explained that the display will chronicle Dr. Heath’s entire medical career, connecting her life story to events occurring across the country.
The Hanna Museum also received a state grant to create an exhibit on Edith Birchall and the immigrant families who settled in the area to work in the coal mines. Birchall came to Wyoming from England in 1906 with her father at 18 years old. Her father and two uncles worked in the coal mines, and as the only female in the family it was her duty to take care of them. In 1908, a mine explosion killed her entire family along with 50 other men.
The Grand Encampment Museum was awarded a grant to fund Heritage of the Cowboys, a set of programs highlighting the music and poetry of the cowboy. The event will be incorporated into the museum’s annual Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering.
In the final round of state funding, twenty entities received a total of $260,988.82 for their 250th anniversary celebrations. Converse County will use its grant to install a series of interpretive signs at historic sites, museums, and other key locations across the county. The Cody Music Club plans a one‑time performance at the Wynona Thompson Auditorium featuring musical selections that reflect cultural traditions from Wyoming and across the United States. Here in Carbon County, the Little Snake River Museum in Savery will highlight the role Mountain Men played in the exploration and settlement of the American West, particularly in the Little Snake River Valley, using digital technology to depict area routes and trails.
In his media release, Governor Gordon wrote that all the grant funding has been allocated and the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources will be in contact with grant recipients to issue their awards.
