Wyoming’s Underground Heroes Hit the Big Screen in New PBS Doc

Wyoming PBS is taking viewers beneath Sweetwater County to meet the people who power one of the state’s most overlooked industries: trona mining, RocketMiner.com reports.

The world premiere of “Afar and Below: The Story of the Wyoming Trona Miners” lands at the Broadway Theater in Rock Springs on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with refreshments, the screening rolls at 6 p.m., and a post-film panel follows, moderated by Rock Springs native and filmmaker Mark Pedri of Burning Torch Productions.

“We’re incredibly proud to host this world premiere in Sweetwater County, home to generations of trona miners featured in the film,” Wyoming PBS CEO Joanna Kail said, calling the industry “critical to our state and nation.”

If you’ve brushed your teeth, read a newspaper, or looked through a window today, you’ve used trona. The mineral is the backbone of soda ash used in glass, paper, and toothpaste — fueling a roughly $470 million (and growing) Wyoming industry that supports local jobs, tax revenues, and royalties. The documentary heads underground to show how it’s mined and why the geology here makes Sweetwater County the trona capital of the world.

The hour-long film threads together voices from the mines — multi-generational families, veteran crews, and new hands — offering a rare, human look at a sector that usually stays out of sight. It’s directed by three-time Emmy winners Mark Pedri and Carrie McCarthy, whose Burning Torch Productions pairs deep Wyoming roots with a knack for immersive, character-driven storytelling.

Miss the premiere? “Afar and Below” airs on Wyoming PBS at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 29. The project is sponsored in part by the Wyoming Public Television Endowment, created by the state legislature to help preserve Wyoming stories.