Built in 1894, the Rock Springs Historical Museum offers a unique look back at the history of Rock Springs starting with the building itself. Constructed of native sandstone the structure housed city hall, the police station and jail, the fire station, a judge’s chambers, court room, and municipal offices for nearly a century.
A matter of pride for the young coal town, the city hall was paid for entirely from revenues collected from issuing liquor licenses in town. The building originally cost $28,200 and featured electric lighting and steam heating from the start. It remains the only example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in southwest Wyoming. In the early 1980's a new city hall building was constructed and the original building was closed.
The building sat empty for some time until the Rock Springs Centennial Celebration in 1988. Through the hard work and dedication of a group of volunteers, the "Centennial Museum" opened on June 4, 1988 after only a few months of planning and designing. Artifacts were loaned and donated by local residents and the volunteers created many exhibits to show what it was like to live here "in the old days".
Because of the success of the Centennial Museum, plans were made to make the Rock Springs Historical Museum a permanent part of the city. In 1991-1992, with funds from the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program, the building underwent a 1.7 million dollar restoration to bring it back to its original 1890's condition.
Today, the Rock Springs Historical Museum features both permanent and rotating exhibits that showcase the industries and people that helped build Rock Springs and the surrounding area. Artifacts, photographs and interpretative displays relating to the history of the building itself, coal mining, the Union Pacific Railroad, famous outlaws Butch Cassidy and Calamity Jane, and the 56 Nationalities that make up the heritage of Rock Springs are all on display. The museum also offers a research library, group or individual tours, a book and gift shop, and a penny pincher to create a token to remember your visit.
The Rock Springs Historical Museum is free and accessible to people of all ages and abilities. We are open year round from 10 am to 5 pm, closed Sunday and major holidays.
Photograph courtesy of Emilio Sanchez 2019.
