A small community with a Wild West atmosphere, this revitalized gem boasts a rich railroad and mining heritage amid stunning natural surroundings.
By Bianca Dumas
May 2024
A hundred years ago in Helper, Utah, residents had to sweep ash off their porches morning and evening — a dusty downpour caused by coal-powered trains that ran right through town. The trains came from the coal mines and stopped in Helper to add “helper engines” to the line, so called because they helped push the coal trains uphill through the canyon to Salt Lake City and beyond. The town was named after its iconic engine and remains the only town in America named after a locomotive.
Helper’s economy is no longer dependent on coal mining and trains. You could say that the little town has been reborn as a museum and has put itself on display, both indoors and out.
A visitor who strolls down Main Street, the same thoroughfare that Butch Cassidy once strode along, will see the train yard; classic filling stations; and “Big John‚” a fiberglass likeness of a man holding a pickax, painted coal black as though he’d been chipped out of the mines. The statue stands 18 feet tall in front of an Art-Deco community auditorium built by the Works Progress Administration, which gives context to the soaring mesa of Mancos Shale behind it. At night, Main Street glows with classic neon signs.
Since the end of its coal-mining era, Helper has become a town centered on fine art, museums, and outdoor festivals. It’s a great overnight stop to add to your next Western road trip.
“Big John” stands 18 feet tall and honors the town’s mining history.
FINE ARTS
The rebirth of this small town, located approximately 110 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, is due to a handful of fine artists who could see that Helper’s economic collapse was the very thing that could save it. Main Street had been built in the Wild West style. Luckily, the town was too poor during the 1970s to participate in the refurbishing mania that swept the country, covering old-fashioned buildings with trendy architectural facades.
Helper’s buildings were preserved through neglect. By the 1990s, many were empty and in disrepair. They were going for cheap, and it took someone with a good eye, an artist’s eye, perhaps, to see their potential.
The artists bought up these two-story buildings for the price of used cars, turning them into studios and instruction spaces. Those who were teachers invited the starving artists they had been educating at the University of Utah to leave the city and settle in Helper, where they could afford to paint full time.
They offered art classes, renovated more buildings, started an arts festival, and eventually installed gallery spaces. Helper was suddenly beautiful. Now there are galleries from end to end on Main Street, featuring painting, sculpture, and ceramic arts. The work of the well-established artists represented can also be seen in places such as New York City; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Palm Desert, California. The work is serious, but the galleries can be lighthearted. For instance, drop by Beg, Borrow and Steele for candy, T-shirts, stickers, and pop art.
Step inside the post office and see its WPA mural, and then check out the fun wares at Bug + Bird Mercantile and Outlaw Antiques.
FUN AND FESTIVALS
Helper really comes to life during its outdoor events. Aim to visit during a Helper Saturday Vibes market on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month from May to October. Now in its fourth year, Vibes fills the town with arts and crafts, music, food, and beer.
The Helper Museum showcases Carbon County’s coal mining past and role in the railroad industry.
Other festivals and events include a First Fridays Gallery Stroll and the annual Helper Arts Festival (August 16-18, 2024). These are fun events that pack Main Street and bring the community together. You can sip a beverage and wave at the people on the California Zephyr as they pass through on the town’s train tracks. In addition, the annual Helper Outlaw Car Show and Cruise will take place in September 2024. And in November and December each year, the city transforms into “Utah’s Christmas Town‚ with a craft fair and parade.
MUSEUMS
The Helper Museum stands proudly on the south end of Main Street. Established in the old Helper Hotel, the museum features the coal-mining and railroad history of Carbon County, along with its ethnic and outlaw past.
The people who settled in Helper around 1900 came from all over the world: Italians, Greeks, Mexicans, Japanese, Bohemian-Hungarians, and about 20 other ethnicities. They came to work on the railroads and in the coal mines. The museum preserves their stories.
Visitors will find three floors of displays that span 43 rooms. The story opens with the tale of the first settler of the area, Mormon polygamist Teancum Pratt, who arrived in 1881 with his two wives. As the town grew, its story broadened to include the immigrants and their contributions to coal mining and railroad history. These can be seen in the museum’s collection of photographs taken by Dorothea Lange, or in several displays dedicated to immigrant lives and cultures. The museum’s top floor offers a G-scale model train and a view of the modern train yard. There’s also a mock-up coal mine and a display of coal-mining equipment, including longwall miners, in the museum’s outdoor park. A wood-bodied Denver & Rio Grande Western spreader can be seen near there as well.
The Vintage Motor Company features a collection of rare Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles.
A few blocks north, you’ll find the town’s other museum: Vintage Motor Company, housed in the refurbished Lincoln Hotel. There, visitors can see dozens of classic Harley-Davidson motorcycles restored by brothers Gary and Bobby DeVincent. While they’re all great bikes, a few especially catch the attention of visitors. One 1942 model on display was on the warfront and was shipped over from an Australian army base. The bike is all original, including its bullet holes. A trio of collector-favorite 1947 Knuckleheads sport signature colors of black, blue, and black and yellow. Finally, there’s an original 1967 police bike with a sidecar. Also on display are classic cars, vintage signs, and other memorabilia.
CLASSIC FILLING STATIONS
You’ll notice a number of refurbished filling stations on Main Street, including a two-bay Sinclair garage. Classic trucks are parked on the lot, and you can imagine that they are waiting for service, just as they were in the 1940s. In front, two Sinclair HC Model 39 Tokheim gas pumps are freshly polished, probably in the hopes that a Buick Super Eight will roll in for a fill-up.
The Conoco Continental Oil Company and Garage was once the business of Helper local Albert Clerico and still contains Clerico’s cash register, uniform and cap, notepad, and even his engraved pen, all donated by his family members. His car was also restored and put back in the bay.
The Vintage Motor Company also boasts restored filling stations.
RESTAURANTS
There’s no better way to get in touch with history than through food. Start your journey at Helper General, a modern spin on an Old West general store; this new business was expected to open in spring 2024. There, you’ll find a selection of groceries and imports that reflect Helper’s ethnic heritage.
Balance Rock Eatery & Pub, a town staple, serves breakfast all day; look north from there to see the actual Balanced Rock perched on the ridgeline of Steamboat Mountain. Happiness Within coffee shop is your stop for espresso, chai, or something cold and bubbly. Don’t miss their locally made potica (pronounced puh-TEE-tsa), a beloved Slovenian sweetbread.
On the south end of Main Street, you’ll find R&A Market, a tiny hometown grocery store with a real butcher shop. The Italian sausage is still made from the founder’s recipe, with plenty of fennel.
If you walk or drive to North Main Street, just around the bend and under the highway, you’ll find Helper Beer brewery. Its signature beer is a light American lager named Helper Beer. It’s bright, crispy, and clear with a lot of subtle flavor. Food options include pizza and sandwiches on stretchy, chewy homemade bread baked using imported Italian flour. The excellent gluten-free option is also made of imported flour.
Helper Beer on Main Street serves food and craft brews, including its signature American lager.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Not every small town has its own Main Street RV park, but Helper does. Castle Gate RV Park (castlegatervpark.com) is a large, full-service park within walking and biking distance of Helper’s attractions. The park includes a variety of full-hookup sites on an asphalt milling base; some measure up to 100 feet long. Online reviews repeatedly remark on the cleanliness of the 12 full, private bathrooms. RVers will also find two large RV dealerships and service centers nearby.
All-terrain and off-highway vehicles can legally drive to any Main Street attraction or pass through town to access several four-wheeling routes in the surrounding desert. The RV park office offers maps. Those who want to explore farther will find over 250 miles of off-road terrain in the area.
And if you need a massage or acupuncture treatment after all this fun, book one at Matsuda Acupuncture, which continues the traditional healing arts of Helper’s Japanese immigrants.
Like a gemstone, Helper is a dusty Wild West town that’s undergone a bit of a polishing in recent years. Let it draw you in and show you its past.
AREA ATTRACTIONS
Helper is situated in Carbon County, Utah. Nearby attractions include the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum, at Utah State University Eastern (eastern.usu.edu/prehistoric-museum). It includes displays of the Utahraptor dinosaur skeleton and eastern Utah rock art.
Nine Mile Canyon (blm.gov/visit/nine-mile-canyon) is a great place to view the rock art of Native Americans and remnants of long-ago dwellings in a natural setting.
The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry is now part of Jurassic National Monument (blm.gov/visit/cleveland-lloyd-dinosaur-quarry) and contains the densest concentration of Jurassic-aged dinosaur bones ever found. Over 12,000 bones have been found at this working archaeological dig.