Annual Festivals: International Day, Red Desert Roundup Rodeo, Wyoming's Big Show
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As you approach modern-day Rock Springs, you can almost imagine earlier travelers bouncing along the Overland Stage route toward the welcome stage station which was the beginning of this southwestern Wyoming town in 1862. Rock Springs is another of the southern Wyoming towns on the Union Pacific's transcontinental line. And for years the area provided millions of tons of coal to feed the nation's locomotives.
Today, the Rock Springs area continues to have a leadership role in the nation's energy production. US Hwy 191 connects at Rock Springs north to serve Grand Teton and Yellowstone National parks. Rock Springs is known as the home of 56 nationalities; a true melting pot. Formed by the railroad and coal mines, Rock Springs offers a variety of recreational opportunities for visitors and residents alike. Established in 1888 as a mining town, the natural resources around the area are the driving force behind the Rock Springs economy.
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The Sand Dunes, just a few miles north of Rock Springs, are the largest in North America. Just south of Rock Springs is the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area a boat and fisherman's paradise. Also, do not forget abut the Wild Horse Scenic Loop Tour just north of Rock Springs. See some of the largest wild horse herds in the world in their natural environment.
The first fort in Wyoming was started as a fur trade post in 1834, known as Fort John. Located near the Laramie River, it had become Fort Laramie by 1849 when the military took control. The fort's grounds just west of the town of Fort Laramie in southeast Wyoming have an open parade ground surrounded by military-era buildings. One structure, Old Bedlam, is the oldest standing building in the State of Wyoming. At or near Fort Laramie, fur traders, overland emigrants, the frontier army and Indians gathered as they came to trade, work and meet. read more
Established by “Stagecoach King” Ben Holladay on orders from the U.S. Post Office Department, the Overland Trail carried nearly 20,000 emigrants a year west between 1862 and 1868. read more
