Published in the March 2007 American Longwall Magazine

 

Area native Fred Voll, who founded the museum in 1964, had a desire to keep the region’s unique history alive for future generations, according to director SueAnn Martell. “He approached Helper City with the idea for a museum and was told that if he could collect the items and manage the museum, he could have the space to display it,” adding that while Voll himself did not work in the industry, he had many friends and relatives who did.

 

The location of the collection has a history of its own, as it was originally located near the town’s Big John miner statue at the Helper Civic Auditorium. However, after a donation of the former Helper Hotel (a former immigrant lodging center built in 1914) by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, the facility changed addresses in 1985.

 

With four floors and more than 13,000 square feet, one would think the space would be hard to fill. Not so, said Martell.

 

“The museum receives all of the items in our collections from donors. This area is full of savers – they save everything, thank goodness! Some items come in one piece at a time and some come in by the truckload.”

 

One of the largest items on display is a longwall exhibit that has been erected in the museum’s back area, notable because it was the first longwall to be used in the United States.

 

“It was brought from England by the mechanics at the Kaiser mine in Sunnyside, Utah,

Martell explained. “With the shields and the longwall itself, it makes an impressive display.”

 

The space also boasts some unusual mining-related items, mainly tools but also relics of mining days past. Some of the items include a long-handled wooden shovel used to remove coke from coke ovens, a bowl handmade from sliced walnut shells, and a twisted axle from a runaway steam engine.

 

Spanning the industry’s past from the 1880s through the 1950s primarily, Martell said the main focus is coal. “Eastern Utah has a vast reserve of coal with the largest areas being the Bookcliff and the Wasatch Plateau coal fields,” adding that other types, such as hard rock and uranium, are also found within the building’s walls.

 

The museum’s staff wants to share mining with the public, but that what they offer is a historical view of the industry. “We try not to have the ‘traditional’ museum exhibits. We want people who visit the museum to feel like they have stepped back in time 100 years.”

 

Hard to miss at the Western Mining and Railroad Museum is the outdoor mining equipment exhibit, a circular walkway lined with longwall shields, shearers and continuous miners. Many of the items were donated by Joy Mining Machinery, she said, but others have been provided by operators.

 

“The outside exhibit is a work in progress,” she said of the always popular attraction. “The pieces have come in one or two at a time, and we are always revising the exhibit.”

 

The staff of 30, which includes 28 volunteers, sees many current and former miners come through the doors of the Helper attraction. “We have scores of retired miners that come in with their families, and especially with their grandchildren. We also have numerous families that come in looking for any histories of their relatives that lived and working the surrounding coal camps.

 

“As for current miners, the museum is a must-see stop when there are mine rescue competitions, special workshops or visiting mine dignitaries,” she said.

 

The support of those within and outside of the mining community help to keep the museum running, as it is operated as an entity of the town and receives a small amount of funding from it. Gift shop sales, grants and donations are what really keep it going. “Several mining companies including Genwal, Andalex Resources [now UtahAmerican Energy] and Joy have donated money and wonderful items to our collection,” she added.

 

The increased interest of the industry and healthy growth of coal over the last few years has had a ripple effect on the museum. Not only is the staff planning to expand the facility, a research area will also be established.

 

“Our visitation has been on the rise for the last several years. Typically we host nearly 10,000 visitors per year, with the new expansion project underway we expect visitation to rise dramatically. We are hoping to begin construction on the project by March 2007 and open sometime in the fall of 2007.”