Rural Carbon County attempts to diversify its economy by turning to tourism

PRICE — Utah has one more destination spot within its borders, and the location may surprise you.

Carbon County, a former mainstay of the coal industry, quit mining in 2019, spurring a rise in unemployment, anger and depression — common sentiments when a company town loses its company, said Connie Loden, an economic and community development expert who works all over the country.

The county — now referred to as the "Carbon Corridor" in advertisements — is transitioning to becoming a tourist destination. And not one that you just drive through. Leaders want it to be one where you stay.

"We have so much here: Museums, biking, ATV areas, restaurants, hotels. And locals who work hard and are proud of where they live," said Tina Grange, the tourism and film specialist for the Carbon County Office of Tourism. "We know that people pass through here ... so many do ... and we're working on getting them to stay for not just one night but maybe two-and-a-half nights."

Coal was king in Carbon County for 130 years, local historians said. But with the transition to cheaper and cleaner forms of energy, it was no longer profitable for companies to maintain their mines. The last active mine in the county closed in 2019.

Price, Sunnyside, Helper, Wellington and East Carbon, along with other locales in the county, felt the crush of no coal-related jobs, civic leaders said. They needed to find a way to diversify their economy quickly before the communities gave up on the county. Tourism was the best bet, they decided.

Roman Vega and local business owners support the transition to a tourist economy. Many, many people drive through the area on their way to Moab or when returning to Utah or Salt Lake counties. Getting the attention of those people could bring an economic boost to the area that everyone could enjoy, they said.

Vega was born and raised in Helper, a small town along the Carbon Corridor. He left the community with the assistance of the U.S. military and, after his enlistment was finished, he returned home to serve as the director and curator at the Helper Museum.

County leaders can already see that last summer, more dollars were spent in restaurants, shops and hotels along the Carbon Corridor than in years prior. As such, they are seeing the transition as a success.

They are not alone. Vega is already seeing evidence of the turn to tourism.

"We had 5,000 people come through the museum last year. Most of them were on their way to Moab. This is a great stopping point," Vega said. "There is so much that people don't realize: The large immigrant communities formed before World War I; President Truman's two visits to Helper, the time boxer Jack Dempsey came to town, the strike of 1903 ... a lot has happened here."

A lot may have happened, but that does not mean all residents think everyone should make the trek to see the Carbon Corridor — a name some locals continue to shun, Grange said. Some people still yearn for life when the mines were here; they knew everyone and there was no traffic.

Grange understands this and is working on spreading the word that not everything will be promoted as a tourist spot. Some areas will continue to be for residents.

This is an issue her office is sensitive to, she said. Grange is very intentional in growing this tourism sector slowly so the community does not feel it has lost its town.

As someone born and raised in East Carbon, she understands the hesitation some people have about this big change. But making the Carbon Corridor a destination spot is still worthwhile, even if it means she has to educate folks beyond the county about the reasons to travel to an old coal mining area, she said.

The office has created a "Discover the Corridor" series on YouTube that will spread the word to fellow Utahns and out-of-staters, as well, about all there is to do in the county.

"We're a very different place than other places in Utah," Grange said. "It's been really fun to let people know that."

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