What do natural springs, coal, a 1885 massacre, outlaw Butch Cassidy, and wild horses in have in common?  They all come together at Rock Springs, WY.

At one time there were natural springs in Rock Springs, WY, where water flowed through the rocks.  Although the springs are no longer flowing, the town’s name came from these springs.  The town may have been named for the springs, but it was coal that built the town.  The first mention of coal in Rock Springs came in 1850, and later in 1868 Archibald and Duncan Blair opened the first coal mine.  Union Pacific arrived and the Union Pacific President Charles Adams said Rock Springs coal mines were the salvation of Union Pacific.  It is said that at one time so much coal flowed through the town that the snow turned black.  At the peak of mining, more than 130 mines were operating in Sweetwater County with Rock Springs being the hub of activity.

Chinese labor was being brought in to work not only on the railroad but also in the coal mines.  Chinese laborers would work for less pay and this caused unions to develop.  For Rock Springs, the labor issues came to a head on September 2, 1885 when American miners attacked Chinese miners.  After the attack, twenty eight Chinese were killed, fifteen wounded and several hundred run out of town.  The Rock Springs Wyoming Massacre is said to be one of the worst race riots in American history.  Today Rock Springs is culturally diverse stating they are home to 56 different nationalities.

A few years after the Massacre, in the winter of 1889, after robbing the San Miguel Valley Bank in Telluride, CO, George Cassidy worked in a butcher shop located at 432 Main Street, Rock Springs, WY.  Cassidy’s given name was Robert LeRoy Parker, but he is best known as Butch Cassidy.

By 1894, the town of Rock Springs was ready for a City Hall.  The building was built at an original cost of $28,200.  The cost was high due to the fact that the building site had quicksand and a fourteen foot foundation was necessary.  In order to pay for the building and not wanting to receive funds from Union Pacific, the revenues from liquor licenses were used.  It is said at the time of building, thirty establishments had liquor licenses.  The building served as City Hall, Police Station, and Fire Station until the 1980’s when the new City Hall was built.  Today the building houses the Rock Springs Museum dedicated to the preservation of the area’s history.

 

After leaving the downtown area, we rode to the wild horse viewing area.  Here wild horses are corralled until they are adopted or moved to other areas for relocation.  Talking with a local resident, we learned that about 25% of the horses are adopted and the rest are relocated.  The wild horse roundup occurs twice a year and we were lucky enough to be able to view the wild horses.  There is also a wild horse loop where you can to view the horses in the wild.  We were told it is about an hour trip and of course there is no guarantee you will see any horses.  Since we had spent four hours driving to Rock Springs we decided to forgo the wild horse loop.

After our sightseeing we were ready for local food.  We figured with 56 different nationalities in Rock Springs there would be different cultural restaurants to choose from.  No so.  We were told the only ethnic restaurants were Mexican and Chinese.  We chose Mexican and Fiesta Guadalajara was recommended.  Off we go hoping for best after our last experience in Dumas, TX.  We were not disappointed.  The food was fresh, homemade, and tasty!  We had a tamale, a chili relleno and a taco along with beans, rice and guacamole.  And of course margaritas were on the menu!  Everything was excellent, seasoned to taste and perfect temperature.  The salsa was fresh tasting and we knew it was homemade.  We even were given complimentary dessert.  If we are ever in the Rock Springs area again, Fiesta Guadalajara will be on the agenda.

 

 

After sightseeing and eating we returned to the Sweetwater Event Center RV Park.  This is a 1200 RV space park and we were the only residents.  We felt safe since the facility has an on-site caretaker.  This is a full hookup facility and we were surprised that no one else was camping.  We would recommend this facility to any RVer traveling through the area.

At first glance, Rock Springs was just a stopover, but we soon learned that the town has many things to see and do.