Mine disaster influences postmark art

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By The Associated Press

Story Published: May 25, 2008 at 9:19 PM MDT

Story Updated: May 25, 2008 at 9:19 PM MDT

RAWLINS, WYOMING - The 1908 Hanna mine disaster has been commemorated by a Hanna artist. Jesse Solaas used his experience working in the Hanna mines to help him design a special postmark drawing.

The drawing shows a bearded coal miner in 1908-era garb, with his helmet light, lunch pail and a pick and shovel over his shoulder. Behind the miner is a period coal-burning locomotive. A methane gas explosion on March 28, 1908, killed 60 men. The bodies of some are still entombed in the closed mine.

Solaas is a former miner who comes from a longtime Hanna mining family. He gave up mining a few years ago to become a wind turbine mechanic so he could move his family back to Hanna. He is a trained graphic artist and does frequent pen-and-ink sketches.

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