Shedding a mystery

Local historian Nancy Anderson was with her husband Victor some years ago taking care of their cattle, when they made a discovery in a gulley.

A type of shed lying on its side, basically in the middle of nowhere.

"Apparently, when the railroad disposed of these structures they just, as they frequently did, hauled them off to the nearest gulley," Anderson said. "This one had been lying on its side for quite a long time."

She said Victor had to replace all the siding where the shed had rested on the ground.

Anderson said she doesn't remember how long ago it was when they found the shed, exactly, but it was a long time past. She and her husband were founders of the Hanna Basin Museum, so both knew this was a physical remnant of a bygone day in Carbon County's history.

"We knew it needed saving," Anderson said. "Our hay trailer was with us and Victor could always figure out how to do things and the two of us got it on the trailer."

Anderson did say the shed gave her husband a strong reminder while unloading it.

"The roof was separate from the shed and when he was getting off the trailer, it fell on his foot, breaking it. The foot, not the roof," Anderson recounted. "It didn't stop our progress with getting it unloaded, it just made him take his shoe off. Actually, he didn't wear a shoe for about six weeks after that."

While the shed was being restored, its home was on the Anderson's property at Coyote Canyon. It was always the intention for it to go to the Hanna Basin Museum.

"Kenny (Karstoft) helped immensely with the restoration," Anderson said. "It took a long time, but it turned out beautiful."

The shed recently got a new home.

The public works department of Hanna went to Coyote Canyon and picked it up. They brought it to the property of the Hanna Basin Museum on December 8. It is, appropriately, next to the Victor Anderson Building.

Anderson is glad the shed is at the place she and Victor always envisioned. Now that is in the public's eye, Anderson is hoping to learn more about the shed's purpose and history.

"I am curious, as a historian, to learn more about this shed," Anderson said. "I would like to know if there is anybody alive or anybody who knows stories about such a shed."

She said there were a tremendous amount of railroad buffs that have extensive amounts of knowledge.

"I just don't know anything about it. When we found the shed, I believe there was a wire of some sort hanging out an obvious hole," Anderson said. "Does that mean it was some sort of communication shed? Was it a place tools were kept or maybe it served a dual purpose. I think it would be wonderful if we could find out more about it."

She said the beauty of history is that there is always something to learn.

Hopefully, one day soon, someone will bring light on what this shed did for the railroad back in its time.

Until then, it is a mysterious structure that has made its home at the Hanna Basin Museum.