History Lesson at the Rock Springs Museum

Henry and I went to check out the Rock Springs Museum while Jeff and Ruth rested after our day trip to Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area.  We hoped to visit the Western Wyoming Community College's Dinosaur Museum, but it's only open when school is in session.  It was a disappointment, because they have one of only a few full Tyrannosaurus Rex skeletons.

The Rock Springs Museum is housed in the city's former City Hall building.  The woman working there was very friendly and explained the exhibits to us.  They had really interesting exhibits, including one on the city's coal industry, on focusing on business and transportation, and the city jail where you could actually go in the cells.  They had old typewriters, jugs that held whisky made locally, and toy trains and cars.  They also had an area devoted to Butch Cassidy, who lived in Rock Springs for a time, working as a butcher.

Henry liked the exhibit about Butch Cassidy and wanted to learn more, so he bought a book about him written by one of his relatives.

After we toured the museum, we drove through the historic downtown of Rock Springs and saw where the trains come through and some of the city's older buildings.

Small town museums like this one provide great opportunities to learn about how the West was settled, how courageous people forged a living in the wilderness, and how people modernized over time.

Part of the coal mining exhibit

Historic downtown Rock Springs