Western Mining & Railroad Museum

Quick Facts
Location: 294 South Main, Helper
Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday

The Western Mining and Railroad Museum in Helper, Utah, offers visitors a chance to see the many forces that have built Castle Country. Uniquely different from most of Utah, the area was settled by immigrants from all over the world that came to mine coal.

Chronicling the late 1870s to 1950, the museum offers exhibits and a large archive of photos and histories. During the Great Depression, Helper City purchased a large collection of Works Projects Administration (WPA) art. This collection is also on display in the museum.

There are four floors of artifacts and photographs:

Basement: A simulated coal mine shows the earliest mining methods, tools and equipment used in coal mining; a blacksmith shop, display of the Castle Gate robbery by the Butch Cassidy gang, early police history and equipment used during the days of prohibition in Carbon County.

Main Floor: Photographs of the mining camps; a typical mining camp kitchen and other memorabilia of the immigrants, and display of Italian artifacts. There is also a model train and gift shop.

Second Floor: This floor shows the lifestyles of the immigrants: the company store, the hospital, nurses and dentist office. The schoolroom, children's toys, early communication devices, beauty shop, community organizations and the baseball room are also included. The highlight of this floor is the display of the Winter Quarters mine explosion in 1900. Photographs of the mining camps: Rains, Standardville, Spring Canyon, Latuda, Royal, Castle Gate are displayed. The halls are covered with WPA paintings of Utah artists done during the "Great Depression".

Third Floor: You can get a view of Helper Historic Main Street, the railroad yards and the Balanced Rock (an amazing rock formation on top of the mountain). You will also see the railroad office and two rooms of artifacts from the steam engine days. The Charlie Steen room shows the story of uranium mining. There are pictures of mining camps and the Castle Gate and Wilberg mine disasters. A new display is the union room telling the history of the organization of the United Mine Workers of America. Photographs of Price and the early airport are on display.

Just a two-hour drive from Salt Lake City, the museum is a stop worth making. "This place tells the story of the immigrant populations. It also seems like everyone who comes to visit is interested in the railroad," commented Lori Perez, archivist.

Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. There is a gift shop full of interesting books about the area, Utah history and immigrants. Visit the museum's extensive web page at www.wmrrm.org

While you are in historic Helper check out the art galleries, brew pub and antique shops.