I get the feeling that Helper’s residents have not been this energized about its future since coal was discovered. In a matter of years, the rugged mountains and canyons of the aptly named Carbon County yielded countless veins of coal that became the foundation of an industry that has seen fortunes built and catastrophic disaster. In 1881, surveyors for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad anticipated coal would be unearthed. And barely one block away, the historic, rural town of Helper is building something that feels unique in America today. A friendly, tree-lined parkway marks its path.

The scene is quite a turnaround given that just a couple of years earlier, this beach was obscured by piles of scrap metal and tires, the river forgotten. They, too, were born and raised near Helper, in Central Utah’s Carbon County. Their parents, Paul and Desiree, keep an eye on their kids. Paul is eager to discuss the beach he observes how it is their favorite place to go and that they come here three times a week. The water is chilly - it has traveled from high-elevation Scofield Reservoir - but the sun is bright and warm on the late August morning. The kids, Evey and Paul Rodriguez, ages 4 and 6, are playing in the pooling, rushing water at the pilot beach. A family of four has gathered by the Price River. I’m on a rented electric bike so pedaling feels barely more strenuous than sitting in a chair tapping my foot. Along the rolling river parkway, sunlight strobes through breaks in the canopy.

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