June 2, 2023 |
Photo – Bobbie Herman with her Hanna mural – by Matt Copeland Bigfoot99
Over Memorial Day weekend, the Hanna Basin Museum unveiled a new artwork featuring scenes from the town’s past and present.
About two years ago, local artist Bobbie Herman said she was contacted by the former Hanna Basin Museum director to create a mural about the town of Hanna and the surrounding area. Herman said she was reluctant to undertake such an ambitious task, but was convinced when she began researching the local history.
Carbon County was established in 1868, 22 years before Wyoming became a state. The towns of Carbon and Hanna were founded that same year and provided the Union Pacific Railroad with coal for its locomotives. Eventually, the coal seams beneath Carbon dried up. However, Hanna remained a large coal producer into the early 20th century. As the nation’s appetite for coal diminished, so too did the profitability of the Hanna mines. The last coal mine closed in 2005.
Herman said her large, three-panel mural depicts the story of the area from the first underground workings up to the present day.
The middle of Herman’s mural is dominated by black and white depictions of the mine entrance, miner workers, and the town as it looked in the 1890’s. Color portraits of contemporary Hanna surround the monochromatic center. Herman has recreated both of the town’s schools and a modern Union Pacific locomotive among many other Hanna landmarks in her painting.
Herman said she couldn’t complete her artwork before the holiday weekend’s unveiling. The artist said she will take the painting back to her home to finish. Afterwards, Herman said it will be on permanent display in the Hanna Basin Museum, at 502 Front Street.
Carbon County played an important part in America’s westward expansion. The area provided coal for the Union Pacific Railroad, which linked the west coast to the rest of the country. Herman said the more she learned about the area’s past, the more interested she became.
Herman’s triptych will become a permanent part of the Hanna Basin Museum’s collection when she finishes the painting. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the museum is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 1:00 to 5:00pm. After Labor Day, the museum is only open on Fridays, from 1:00 to 5:00pm.
