| Helper city councilman Kirk Mascaro, Utah State Historical Society Director Phillip F. Notarianni, Museum volunteer Madge Tomsic and Western Mining and Railroad Museum director SueAnn Martell display the award. |
The Western Mining and Railroad Museum and long-time museum volunteer Madge Tomsic were recently awarded the Utah State Historical Society Outstanding Achievement Award in Public History at the Utah State Historical Society annual meeting in Salt Lake City on Sept 11.
The award was presented to Madge Tomsic and Museum Director SueAnn Martell by Dr. Philip F. Notarianni, Director of the Utah State Historical Society and Michael W. Homer, Chair of the Utah State Board of History.
Museum volunteer Madge Tomsic and the Western Mining and Railroad Museum have been an important force in collecting, researching, preserving and sharing Eastern Utah’s rich and diverse history. In April of 2002, Madge Tomsic published a book entitled A Tour of Historic Helper Main Street. The book provides a walking tour through Helper’s history as it explains in detail the beginnings, endings and rebirths in Helper’s famous business district.
The Western Mining and Railroad Museum, led by Museum Director SueAnn Martell, is currently working to reprint the popular book, Carbon County, Eastern Utah’s Industrialized Island. This book, seen by many as the definitive book on Carbon County’s history, will once again be made available to the public.
The Western Mining and Railroad Museum was also honored for organizing a week long Heritage Week program the first week in May which included lectures, special tours and a Family Activity Day all celebrating Utah’s mining and railroading past and for producing a permanent exhibit entitled Helper: The Hub of Carbon County. This exhibit focuses on the daily life of Helper residents with photographs and artifacts dating from the early 1890’s through the 1950’s. The exhibit has been viewed by nearly 4,250 visitors since it opened in May of 2003.