Towns & Cities in Sweetwater County

City of Rock Springs
The spring the town was named for eventually dried up due to mining operations. However, Rock Springs owes its growth and development to the coal mining industry. It was coal mined from Rock Springs that the Union Pacific Railroad used to power their steam engines. During the summer and fall of 1868 hundreds of miles of rail were laid across Sweetwater County for the Union Pacific Railroad. Once completed, the railroad helped existing towns thrive, as well as establish new ones across the county.

Rock Springs Statistics
Climate: High Desert/Arid Population: 27,000 Elevation: 6,271’
Annual Precipitation: 8.7” Temp. Ranges: -30F to +95F
Geology: Inland sea stratified volcanic deposits

Getting There:
From I-80, take exit 107. For more information call
(307) 352-1500 or visit www.rswy.net

Fact: Rock Springs was named after a natural spring in which
the town was built around.

Did you know that Rock Springs and Green River were both
stage stations on the Overland Trail before becoming historic
Western towns?

City of Green River
Green River truly is an oasis in the arid high desert plateau.
The “Green River”, for which the town takes its name, winds through the heart of town. “Blue Ribbon” trout fishing can be found from the banks in town!

Green River Statistics
Climate: High Desert/Dry & Arid
Annual Precipitation: 8.7”
Elevation: 6,109’
Temp. Ranges: -30F to +95F
Population: 11,628

Fact: The City of Green River
takes its name from the Green
River that flows through the
center of the city.

Getting There:
From I-80, take exit 91. For more information call
(307) 872-6136, or visit www.cityofgreenriver.org

Eden Valley
Long before the area was settled, Eden Valley had served as a
thoroughfare for various types of travelers, the first of which were Native Americans. Ancient Indian camps have been discovered in this area by archaeologists, who gave the name Eden Point to one of the oldest types of arrowheads ever found.

Early settlers would be proud to know that Eden Valley, almost 100 years later, is the oasis in the desert that they dreamed it would be.

Fact: The unincorporated communities of Farson and Eden form the Eden Valley. Just four miles apart, they share a K-12 public school, post office, volunteer fire department and community hall.

Eden Valley Statistics
Climate: Semi-arid Rainfall: 7.45” Frost Free Season: 60 days
Elevation: 6,700’ Temp. Ranges: –55° to +95° Population: 600
Geology: Fossil fish beds and petrified wood forest are remnants
of a vast inland ocean that covered the area long ago.

Getting There:
Eden Valley, From I-80, take U.S. 191 N. for 41 miles,
take right on Eden East Main Rd.

Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger is in the beautiful Black’s Fork Valley, an oasis in the desert. At Fort Bridger, you can see the Pony Express and Stage Station where Mark Twain and Horace Greeley dined. You can also tour intact buildings constructed by the military and see a reconstruction of Bridger’s Trading Post. The trading post and fort museum are open daily.

Fact: The Fort Bridger Rendezvous is held annually on Labor Day Weekend. Mountain
men and Native Americans gather to trade and celebrate as they did in the 1800s.

Getting There:
From I-80, take Exit 34 south and travel about three miles to the fort entrance. A small visitor fee is charged at the gate.

Superior
Superior and South Superior once were thriving communities, fueled by the Union Pacific Coal Mines. When the Union Pacific changed to diesel engines to move freight, the mines gradually closed and the towns declined, and then combined into one community.

Come see the restored Union Hall, once the largest union structure in the west; the Copenhagen Tipple, remains of several other mines, and a nice museum located in the former elementary school building.

Fact:
The first mines began to remove coal from Horse Thief Canyon in about 1903. Soon the towns of Superior, South Superior, C Camp, D Hill, B Camp, Copenhagen, and A Camp emerged.

Getting There:
From I-80, take the Superior exit and travel north on State Highway 371 for nine
miles. Upon arrival into town, first stop at the Old Union Hall, the first large building
as you enter town. The interpretive park will help explain Superior’s past and present.

Point of Rocks Stage Station
Rich in folklore and historical tradition, the Point of Rocks Stage Station will round out a trail enthusiast’s visit to Sweetwater County. The sandstone construction and building techniques used to erect this structure are similar to those used along the Overland Stage line.

Fact:
This 1862-built stage station lies at the base of sandstone cliffs, still intact. Located in a broad canyon, it was a home station on the Overland Trail.

Getting There:
A visit to this stage station, the one at Point of Rocks
and the one at Carter’s Compound at Fort Bridger is easily
accomplished in one day’s travel without ever going more
than seven miles, round trip, off I-80.

Wamsutter
The community of Wamsutter lies on the eastern edge of Sweetwater County along I-80. Located in the Great Divide Basin, a high desert climate and offers unique scenery, wildlife and geology. The area boasts the world’s only desert elk herd and the largest herd of Pronghorn antelope.

Getting There:
Take Exit 173 off I-80 and you can travel into the desert north and south along County Road 23 to view wildlife, fossil beds, geologic formations, and herds of wild horses. Wrap up a day of exploring at the M & P café and sample from their large menu, including authentic Mexican food or visit the Desert Bar to relax with a cold beverage.