Sunshine for HBM

Sunshine Solaas is settling into her job as the new director for the Hanna Basin Museum (HBM). The position had not been filled for several months and Solaas acknowledges there is work to be done.

Solaas is originally for Grand Island, Neb. She did live in Florida for a year after graduating before returning to the state she was raised, but lived in a much smaller town.

"Broken Bow is about 4,000 people, bigger than Hanna, but still a small town," Solaas said.

She lived there for 10 years before her husband was brought to Carbon County to work on the wind farms outside of Hanna.

"I met my husband through my daughter, Charlie, and his daughter Alison," Solaas said. "We became a large family once we married because he has four biological and I have four biological, plus one adopted by us."

The Solaas family has lived in Hanna three years and Solaas spent the majority of her time raising nine children. She does photography as a hobby and her pictures of kids sporting events have been used in the Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow High School yearbook and the Saratoga Sun.

"My kids don't need me the way they did and I was looking for a job that would be fulfilling," Solaas said. "I have always loved history and when this job came open, the timing was perfect."

She said her drive for taking on the job is to get the HBM back into the eye of the public.

"We've gone from a town that people knew about mining, ranching and railroad history because they were born and raised here or been here an extremely long time," Solaas said. "But we are transitioning because of all the wind projects and Sinclair employing many people that live here. So many are transplants and have no clue the museum is here."

Solaas said her goal is to reach the people inside the community first.

"This museum is full of history and, like many transplants, I didn't know it was really here for some time," Solaas said. "I really want the transplants to know what a gem we have here."

She said working with both schools is important.

"The elementary school is just a walk down the road," Solaas said. "I would love to have projects where students learn to spin yarn or make arrowheads so the kids could know hands-on history."

She not only wants elementary students to be involved, but also the high school students. HBM has several buildings and Solaas would like to have history savvy high school volunteers take visitors around to the different buildings explaining the past.

Solaas says her ultimate goal is to make history come alive.

"I want students who come here to not only enjoy the exhibits, but find games or activities that make history come alive for them," Solaas said.

She hopes that, as people in town participate with HBM activities she promotes, visitors from outside of town get interested, also.

"If you cater to kids, the adults will follow," Solaas said.

Her first focus was to get the women in Hanna history exhibit up since the Wyoming Office of Tourism is emphasizing the contribution women have made.

She wants town folk and visitors to realize Hanna was a commercial center that had a hospital, movie theater, department store and many businesses that were supported by people living in northern Carbon County.

There are many artifacts left from many of these businesses that are unique to Hanna and the surrounding area.

"The goal is to expand everyone's idea of Hanna's role in history," Solaas said. "I have a lot of research to do, but there is a strong foundation here already. This museum really surprises visitors with all it has to offer. I encourage all to see it for themselves."