Rock Springs Historical Museum, Self-Guided Tour
Visitors Discover Wyoming’s City of Booms and Busts & Butch Cassidy
Jan 13, 2009
The Rock Springs Historical Museum contains a variety of displays illustrating the history of Rock Springs, from coal mining, to railroad, to Native American artifacts, to the historic trails of pioneers, to the Wild West and many others. The self-guided walking tour of Historic Downtown Rock Springs offers guests a glimpse into its past, a history of boom or bust. Visiting the museum and historic downtown is one of the fun activities to do while in Rock Springs and the Sweetwater County area.
Rock Springs Historical Museum
The Rock Springs Historical Museum building itself is worth the visit. The museum is located in the old City Hall building, complete with an old-time jail! Built in 1892, a mine shaft runs below the old building. The huge stone building houses thousands of artifacts and personal property collected over the years.
Visitors to the museum walk through the history of coal mining, exploring how coal brought booms and busts to Rock Springs and learn about mining life. During a 1850s survey for the railroad, coal lines were found in the area but the railroad didn’t come through town until 1868. The city of Rock Springs is named for a stop along the Overland Stage Line, where travelers found cold spring water. Rock Springs was never planned as a permanent city but many coal miners called it home and it stuck. Rock Springs became a melting pot of nationalities as immigrants came to work in the coal mines. The city is known as the "Home of 56 Nationalities."
Rock Springs Historic Downtown Walking Tour
This self-guided tour begins at 201 B Street, at the Rock Springs Historic Museum. Walkers can either visit the museum at the beginning of the tour or come back after taking the tour. There are nearly 50 stops along the self-guided tour. The tour pamphlet provides background information for each stop. The tour brochure also contains historic photographs, which tour-goers can use to contrast with the buildings they see along the tour.
The self-guided tour can be an easy stroll through the old downtown streets or a brisk walk. Points of interest along the self-guided tour in historic downtown Rock Springs include:
- Federal Post Office Building
- Rock Springs Masonic Temple, which is still used today
- Community Fine Arts Center, also a point of interest for visitors to Rock Springs
- Stockgrowers Mercantile Company, one of the oldest buildings in Rock Springs was built in the 1870s.
Rock Springs and Butch Cassidy
Perhaps the most popular stop along the tour is the building on North Front where Butch Cassidy allegedly worked as a meat cutter, receiving the name “Butch.” Robert Leroy Parker, aka Butch Cassidy, came to the Rock Springs area to mine at the turn of the century but ended up working at the butcher’s shop. According to his sister’s biography, My Brother Butch Cassidy, after being “falsely” accused of stealing money, Cassidy cursed the town and state of Wyoming and returned to his outlaw ways. The tie between Rock Springs and Butch Cassidy intrigues visitors to the area.
Museum Hours and Location
The Rock Springs Historical Museum is open Monday through Saturday 10am to 5pm. The museum includes a book store and gift shop. Admission is free but donations are accepted. The museum is located at 201 B Street in Historic Downtown Rock Springs. The self-guided tour pamphlets are available at the museum. The Sweetwater County Joint Travel & Tourism Board in Rock Springs offers excellent information on other exciting adventures and learning opportunities in SW Wyoming.
 |
 |
 |
 |
