Misplaced Pages

#439560

115-762: The Rock Springs massacre , also known as the Rock Springs riot , occurred on September 2, 1885, in the present-day United States city of Rock Springs in Sweetwater County , Wyoming . The riot, and resulting massacre of immigrant Chinese miners by European immigrant miners, was the result of racial prejudice toward the Chinese miners, who were taking jobs from the existing miners. The Union Pacific Coal Department found it economically beneficial to give preference in hiring to Chinese miners, who were willing to work for lower wages than their European counterparts, which angered

230-446: A Chinese go after depriving him of all his gold and silver, while another Chinese would be beaten with the butt ends of the weapons before being let go. Some of the participants, when they could not stop a Chinese, would shoot him dead on the spot, and then search and rob him. Some would overtake a Chinese, throw him down and search and rob him before they would let him go. Some of the rioters would not fire their weapons, but would only use

345-578: A Lieutenant Colonel Anderson, was stationed in Evanston, Wyoming; the other, under a Colonel Chipman, was stationed in Rock Springs. At Camp Murray , Utah Territory , Colonel Alexander McDowell McCook was ordered to augment the garrison sent to Wyoming with six more companies. On September 9, 1885, one week after the massacre, six companies of soldiers arrived in Wyoming . Four of the six companies then escorted

460-529: A chapter in Rock Springs. The Knights were one of the major groups which spearheaded opposition to Chinese labor during the 1880s; in 1882, the Knights had worked for the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act. No evidence has been uncovered to prove that the national Knights of Labor organization was behind the massacre at Rock Springs. In August 1885, notices were posted from Evanston to Rock Springs, demanding

575-559: A land known for its scarcity of precipitation, water has been a powerful force in shaping the Red Desert. Former rivers from the Paleocene and later epochs and the ancient Lake Gosiute deposited between 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and 20,000 feet (6,100 m) of sediment in the Red Desert's geographic basin. Lake Gosiute began to fill the Red Desert for the first time in the early Eocene Epoch. Subsequent climate and tectonic activities during

690-583: A large number settled in Carbon and Uinta counties. Most Chinese people in the area were men working in the mine. Confusion about Chinese immigrants was widespread and largely uncontroversial at the time. Tucker, in the aforementioned 1884 article, referred to Asian immigrants as "...the Asiatic race, alien in blood, habits, and civilization". He also noted, "Chinese are the chief element in this Asiatic population." In 1874–75, after labor unrest disrupted coal production,

805-509: A male householder with no wife present, and 33.2% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age in the city was 31.5 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.6% were from 45 to 64; and 8.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of

920-472: A maximum of 33.2 °F (0.7 °C) and a minimum of 12.4 °F (−10.9 °C). The average July temperatures are a maximum of 86.3 °F (30.2 °C) and a minimum of 52.5 °F (11.4 °C). There an average of 14.7 days annually with highs of 90 °F (32.2 °C) or higher. There are an average of 183.6 nights with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower and 11.5 nights with lows of 0 °F (−17.8 °C) or lower. The record high temperature

1035-512: A member-elect to the territorial legislature. The men were taken to jail in Green River , where they were held until after a Sweetwater County grand jury refused to bring indictments. In explaining its decision, the grand jury declared that there was no cause for legal action, stating, in part: "We have diligently inquired into the occurrence at Rock Springs. ... [T]hough we have examined a large number of witnesses, no one has been able to testify to

1150-524: A mob of Whites burned down the barracks of 36 Chinese coal miners. Throughout the Puget Sound area, Chinese workers were driven out of communities and subject to violence in Washington cities and towns, including Tacoma , Seattle , Newcastle , and Issaquah . Chinese workers were driven out of other Washington towns, but sources indicated, as early as 1891, that the above events were specifically connected to

1265-601: A more accurate number, as some of those who fled were never accounted for. The Chinese consul in New York City compiled a detailed list of the massacre's victims. Source: In the days following the riot, surviving Chinese immigrants in Rock Springs fled and were picked up by Union Pacific trains. By September 5, almost all survivors were in Evanston, Wyoming , 100 miles (160 km) west of Rock Springs. Once there, they were subjected to threats of murder and other crimes; Evanston

SECTION 10

#1732837409440

1380-603: A people's history worn into the earth. Historic trails used by nineteenth century stagecoaches are also part of the Red Desert's legacy. Of particular note, the Overland Stage initially followed the Platte River and the Oregon Trail to South Pass , but later shifted to a route across southern Wyoming. Stagecoach ruts in the desert are still visible in a variety of locations including north of Baggs . A short-lived gold rush in

1495-706: A route east from Flaming Gorge Reservoir across the Red Desert to Laramie, Wyoming , and then south to the Colorado Front Range. The Killpecker Sand Dunes stretch 55 miles (89 km) east from the Green River Basin across the Continental Divide into the Great Divide Basin and encompass approximately 109,000 acres (440 km ). These living dunes, one of North America's largest fields, owe their presence to two key factors: A vital function of

1610-494: A single criminal act committed by any known White person that day." Those arrested as suspects in the riot were released a little more than a month later, on October 7, 1885. On their release, they were "...met ... by several hundred men, women and children, and treated to a regular ovation ", according to The New York Times . The defendants in the Rock Springs case enjoyed the same broad community consent that lynch mobs often received. No person or persons were ever convicted in

1725-467: A spider web of dirt and gravel roads that crisscross the far reaches of the desert. BP , an energy company, reports service people associated with the Wamsutter gas field travel 800,000 miles (1,300,000 km) per month, down from 1,000,000 miles (1,600,000 km). The explosion of natural gas wells drilled during Wyoming's most recent energy industry boom continues with more than 2,000 projected wells in

1840-612: Is a community college in Rock Springs. Rock Springs is served by two hyperlocal news websites, SweetwaterNOW.com and Wyo4news.com Rock Springs is served by two print publications: Rock Springs Daily Rocket-Miner and the Green River Star (a weekly newspaper published in Green River ). Rock Springs is served by a number of radio stations including KRKK , KSIT , KQSW , KMRZ-FM , KYCS , KZWB , KFRZ and KUGR . All television stations in Rock Springs are translators or satellites of stations located elsewhere: Rock Springs

1955-454: Is a cumulative process. Eventually the dunes may become stable as plant cover increases—assuming disruptive forces such as drought, fire, livestock and human traffic are not present. Dune beetles and other insects in addition to small mammals such as shrews, white-footed mice and kangaroo rats inhabit the dunes. Their presence attracts owls, eagles, bobcats and other predators. Moreover, an oasis of short-lived summer ponds that occur in swales at

2070-492: Is evidenced by freighters of the time who were known to hitch as many as 18 horses to haul five freight wagons at once. The Union Pacific Railroad helped launch western towns along its route, like Wamsutter. Beginning in 1913, the Lincoln Highway connected them. The Lincoln Highway's coast-to-coast route also cut across the Red Desert as it passed through Wyoming. Interstate 80 , nearly a half century later in 1956, replaced

2185-579: Is home to an original Norman Rockwell painting. Public education in the city of Rock Springs is provided by Sweetwater County School District #1 . Schools serving the city include: Desert View Elementary, Northpark Elementary, Overland Elementary, Pilot Butte Elementary, Sage Elementary, Stagecoach Elementary, Walnut Elementary, Westridge Elementary, Eastside Elementary, Rock Springs Junior High School, and Rock Springs High School . There are also two alternative campuses – Black Butte High School, and Roosevelt Learning Center. Western Wyoming Community College

2300-403: Is killed, as far as White men are concerned, if such program is carried out." The massacre was defended in the local newspaper, and, to an extent, in other western newspapers. In general, however, Wyoming newspapers disapproved of the acts of the massacre while supporting the cause of the original miners. Wyoming's territorial Governor Francis E. Warren visited Rock Springs on September 3, 1885,

2415-570: Is known as the Home of 56 Nationalities because of the influx of immigrants from all over the world who came to work in the coal mines that supplied the fuel to power the steam engines of the Union Pacific Railroad. The city's rich cultural heritage is celebrated each summer on International Day, a festival where the foods, costumes, and traditions of residents' ancestors are recreated and enjoyed at Bunning Park in downtown Rock Springs. Rock Springs

SECTION 20

#1732837409440

2530-453: Is not necessary for me to speak of the numerous reasons given for the opposition to this particular race – their habits, religion, customs and practices ..." Powderly blamed the "problem" of Chinese immigration on the failings of the 1882 Exclusion Act. He faulted lax law enforcement, not those involved in the riots, for the attacks at Rock Springs. Powderly wrote that the U.S. Congress should stop "winking at violations of this statute" and reform

2645-418: Is rich in oil , natural gas , uranium , and coal . An estimated 84% of the Red Desert has been "industrialized" by oil and gas drilling or by mining operations and associated roads. The Red Desert supports an abundance of wildlife, despite its scarcity of water and vegetation. The largest migratory herd of pronghorn in the lower 48 states and a rare desert elk herd, said to be the world's largest, live in

2760-486: Is seen in rock art found at the Boars Tusk , East Flaming Gorge, and Seedskadee areas. Researchers interpret the petroglyphs carved into rock at these sites as biographical, ceremonial, or spiritual expressions. The Red Desert's Black Art petrogylph is thought to date back 11,500 years, according to anthropologist and cultural historian Russell L. Tanner who says the rock art may be the continent's oldest. Tanner refers to

2875-428: Is served by Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport . Union Pacific serves Rock Springs. STAR Transit provides local bus service in Rock Springs, with limited service to Reliance and Green River. Rock Springs' sister city is: Red Desert (Wyoming) The majority of the Red Desert is public land managed by the Rock Springs and Rawlins field offices of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The region

2990-546: Is the site of Western Wyoming Community College and Wyoming's Big Show , a yearly event with a carnival and concerts which is held at the Sweetwater County Events Complex . Rock Springs is located in an energy-rich region with many oil and natural gas wells. Rock Springs derives its name from a rock spring which flowed in the Number 6 district in the northern part of town. An erroneous story had indicated that

3105-424: The U.S. Congress provided US$ 147,748.74 as an indemnity. The compensation was made as a monetary gift and not as a legal decree of responsibility for the massacre and the outcome amounted to a minor diplomatic victory for China. Correspondence between Wyoming's territorial Governor, Francis Warren, and Union Pacific officials during Warren's term in office indicate that he petitioned the company for years to clear

3220-507: The 1870's was the largest percentage increase in the Asian population of Wyoming of any decade since; the increase represented a 539% jump in the Asian population. By 1880, most Chinese residents in Sweetwater County lived in Rock Springs. At that time, Wyoming was home to 914 Asians; that number fell significantly during the 1880s to 465. Although most Chinese workers in 1880 were employed in

3335-402: The Chinese as weak and defenseless, stating in its coverage of the massacre: "To murder an industrious Chinaman is the same kind of fiendish work as the murder of women and children – it is equally a violation of the rights of the defenceless." Knights of Labor leader Terence Powderly wrote in a letter to W. W. Stone (excerpts of which he included in a report to the U.S. Congress) that, "It

3450-399: The Chinese back to Rock Springs. Once back in Rock Springs, the Chinese laborers found scorched tracts of land where their homes once stood. The mining company had buried only a few dead; others remained lying in the open, mangled, decomposing, and partially eaten by dogs, hogs, or other animals. The situation in Rock Springs was stabilized as early as September 15, when Warren first requested

3565-493: The Endangered Species Act present in the Red Desert. The bald eagle and the black-footed ferret are also listed. However, the bald eagle is seldom seen in the desert because of the lack of streams or lakes with accompanying fish. Black-footed ferrets, which feed upon prairie dogs, are also rare. Scientists trace the story of human presence in the Red Desert back 12,000 years. Striking evidence of early human inhabitants

Rock Springs massacre - Misplaced Pages Continue

3680-578: The Killpecker Sand Dunes, often in company with bison bones. Generations of American families, beginning in the 1840s, also left their mark upon the desert as they migrated westward along emigrant trails. The environmental impact of an estimated 350,000 pioneers and their wagon trains traveling through Wyoming between 1841 and 1868 is still visible today. In some cases, such as at Guernsey , wagon wheels wore ruts deep into solid sandstone. However, most trail ruts are less dramatic but still evidence of

3795-711: The Lincoln Highway as America's premier continental roadway. Today, Interstate 80 carries an estimated 11,000 vehicles across the desert daily. The four-lane highway slices the desert into a north and south Red Desert in terms of wildlife migration. Other Expansion Era roads branched off from Union Pacific railheads at Point of Rocks, Green River and Bryan. These trade routes linked remote mining, ranching, and military settlements. Signs of these early trade routes, such as stage stations and freighter camps, are still visible in areas such as Freighter's Gap. Roadways used by modern-day freighters hauling oilfield supplies have created

3910-561: The Red Desert as a marketplace and crossroads during more recent times of interaction between nomadic Plains Indians, including Blackfeet, Crows, and Shoshone. He writes that rock art of the times, especially along the Green River, sprang from a melding of Indian cultures represented by imagery of the Plains Indian warrior tradition. Other pre-historic evidence include Native American artifacts estimated to be more than 10,000 years old found in

4025-514: The Red Desert's unique ecology is that wildlife is varied. Predators such as coyotes and the occasional mountain lion, swift fox, and kit fox are attracted by the area's mammals for feed. Pocket gophers, badgers, sage grouse, sage sparrows, and the sage thrasher are associated with the sagebrush habitat. The Red Desert is home to a range of burrowing animals. The white-tailed prairie dog, Great Basin spadefoot toad, tiger salamander, pygmy rabbits, and sagebrush lizards all go underground for protection from

4140-478: The Red Desert. University of Wyoming historian Phil Roberts described the notion of building a transcontinental railroad as "today's equivalent of the mission to Mars: Big, expensive and impossible". The preliminary survey for the railroad produced the first map of the Great Basin and Southern Wyoming, according to author Stephen E. Ambrose. The Red Desert's lack of water presented a problem for steam locomotives of

4255-478: The Rock Springs massacre presented their own grisly account of the mêlée to the Chinese consul in New York City: Whenever the mob met a Chinese they stopped him and, pointing a weapon at him, asked him if he had any revolver, and then approaching him they searched his person, robbing him of his watch or any gold or silver that he might have about him, before letting him go. Some of the rioters would let

4370-479: The Rock Springs mine. They declared that the Chinese laborers had no right to work in a particularly desirable "room" in the mine; miners were paid by the ton, thus location was important to the miners. A fight broke out, and two Chinese workers at pit number six were badly beaten. One of the Chinese workers later died due to his injuries. The American miners, most of whom were members of the Knights of Labor , walked out of

4485-571: The Rod and Rails Festival. In July, August, and September, the city holds a county fair called Wyoming's Big Show. Rock Springs has two public libraries, Rock Springs Library and White Mountain Library, both of which are branches of the Sweetwater County Library System. The Rock Springs Library is also an original Carnegie Library , and has since been expanded to include an art gallery that

4600-522: The Saints Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Rock Springs. The buildings are no longer extant, and the property is no longer listed on the National Register. The area that was once Chinatown, just north of where Camp Pilot Butte once stood, had a public elementary school built over part of it. In general, the locations in Rock Springs associated with the massacre have been surrounded and absorbed by

4715-506: The Union Pacific Coal Department hired Chinese laborers to work in their coal mines throughout southern Wyoming. Even so, the Chinese population rose slowly at first; however, where there were Chinese immigrants, they were generally concentrated in one area. At Red Desert , a remote section camp in Sweetwater County, there were 20 inhabitants, of whom 12 were Chinese. All 12 were laborers who worked under an American foreman. To

Rock Springs massacre - Misplaced Pages Continue

4830-406: The Wamsutter gas field to be operational by 2020. The gas field encompasses an area in the Red Desert about 55 miles (89 km) long and 35 miles (56 km) wide. Advances in drilling technology now allow grouping of multiple wells on a single drilling pad, thus reducing the footprint upon the land. Meanwhile, BLM expects the expansion in energy development to continue in the Red Desert including

4945-521: The Wild West". According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 19.34 square miles (50.09 km ), all land. Rock Springs has a semi-arid climate ( Köppen BSk ) with cold, snowy winters and warm summers. Precipitation is usually light but has two peaks in mid spring and in early fall. Summer and winter are both drier. The average December temperatures are

5060-447: The animosity and rising racial tension with other miners, but had not taken any precautions, as no prior events indicated there would be any riots. Underlying the outbreak of violence were resentment of the policies of the Union Pacific Coal Department. Until 1875, the mines in Rock Springs were worked by European Americans; in that year, a strike occurred, and the strikers were replaced with Chinese strikebreakers less than two weeks after

5175-402: The average family size was 3.02. 27.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males. The median household income was $ 42,584 and the median family income

5290-434: The base of the dunes support migratory shore birds and waders, as well as large game animals such as elk. Cattle, sheep, and free roaming wild horses also frequent the ponds. The fresh water also provides a habitat for aquatic organism such as salamanders and freshwater shrimp. Active sand dunes within the 10,500 acres (42 km ) of the Killpecker Sand Dunes area are open to off-road vehicles. Motorists are required to avoid

5405-402: The base of the hill at coal pit number four; others still, from the eastern end of town, fled across Bitter Creek to the opposite hill; and more fled the western end of Chinatown across the base of the hill to the right of coal pit number five. The opposing group came from three directions by this time, from the east and west ends of town and from the wagon road. The Chinese immigrants present at

5520-476: The basin's interior waters are intermittent, the desert is bounded to the west by the Green River and to the east by the North Platte River . In 2009, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was poised to launch an environmental impact statement regarding a proposed 560 miles (900 km) pipeline to divert water from the Green River to population centers near Denver, Colorado . The $ 4 billion project targeted

5635-605: The basin. Such small earth moving events, repeated over the eons, combined with the sculpting forces of wind have created the rugged landscape of buttes, pinnacles, gulches, and flats that characterize the Red Desert. The Continental Divide branches to the desert's northwest and rejoins in the southeast, creating the Great Divide Basin , from which no surface water drains. Steamboat Mountain and other desert mesas or buttes provide seeps and springs that serve as water sources for small streams, such as Jack Morrow Creek. While

5750-428: The butt ends to beat the Chinese with. Some would not beat a Chinese, but rob him of whatever he had and let him go, yelling to him to go quickly. Some, who took no part either in beating or robbing the Chinese, stood by, shouting loudly and laughing and clapping their hands. By 3:30 p.m. the massacre was well under way. A group of women in Rock Springs had gathered at the plank bridge, where they stood and cheered on

5865-404: The case of Ferris Peak, and supports snowshoe hares, red squirrels, and pockets of big horn sheep. The high elevation with its cooler summer range attracts elk and mule deer. Prairie falcons, northern harriers and other raptors soar along mountain ridges and canyon rims looking for feed such as migratory mountain plovers, a small ground bird. The mountain plover is one of three species protected by

SECTION 50

#1732837409440

5980-540: The city was 52.1% male and 47.9% female. At the 2000 census, there were 18,708 people, 7,348 households and 4,930 families living in the city. The population density was 1,014.4 per square mile (391.7/km ). There were 8,359 housing units at an average density of 453.3 per square mile (175.0/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 91.75% White, 1.07% African American, 0.86% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander , 3.05% from other races , and 2.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.96% of

6095-445: The city was 86.4% White , 1.4% African American , 0.8% Native American , 1.1% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 7.5% from other races , and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.4% of the population. There were 8,762 households, of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.1% had

6210-425: The city's growth. Rock Springs, Wyoming Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County , Wyoming , United States. The population was 23,526 at the 2020 census , making it the fifth most populous city in the state of Wyoming, and the most populous city in Sweetwater County. Rock Springs is the principal city of the Rock Springs micropolitan statistical area , which has a population of 37,975. Rock Springs

6325-510: The city. The camp covered 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 acres of Union Pacific property; the parade ground was in the center of a present-day city block bounded by Soulsby Street on the west, Pilot Butte Avenue on the east, Bridger Avenue on the north and Elias Avenue on its south. In 1973, the area where the army post once existed was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as a historic district . At that time, there were only two remaining original structures. The two buildings were owned by

6440-546: The coal mines around Wyoming and Sweetwater County, the Chinese in Rock Springs worked mostly in occupations outside of mining. In addition to Chinese laborers and miners, a professional gambler, a priest, a cook and a barber resided in the city. In Green River, Wyoming , there was a Chinese doctor. Chinese servants and waiters found work in Green River and in Fort Washakie . In Atlantic City , Miner's Delight , and Red Canyon, Wyoming , Chinese gold miners were employed. However,

6555-446: The damaged property but not for the actual victims of the massacre, although Bayard was inclined to resist the requests for payments. In a letter to the minister of China's Washington legation dated February 18, 1886, he expressed a personal view that the violence against Chinese immigrants was precipitated by their resistance to cultural assimilation , and that racism against Chinese was typically found among other immigrants rather than

6670-470: The day after the riot, to make a personal assessment. After his trip to Rock Springs, Warren traveled to Evanston, where he sent telegrams to U.S. President Grover Cleveland appealing for federal troops. Back in Rock Springs, the riot had calmed, but the situation was still unstable. Two companies of the United States Army 's 7th Infantry arrived on September 5, 1885. One company, under the command of

6785-500: The desert lacks in concentrated animal habitat, it makes up in expanse. The Red Desert is home to the largest unfenced area in the continental United States. Nearly three-quarters of the area is covered by sagebrush grassland. Sagebrush is a critical habitat for a variety of wildlife ranging from pronghorn which browse it year round to small insects. However, habitat is constrained by oil and gas roads along with drilling and mining. Sagebrush also provides cover for animals such as elk and

6900-542: The desert's extreme weather and predators. Similarly, the burrowing owl nests and roosts underground, typically in burrows dug by prairie dogs. Migratory summer birds such as the white-faced ibis and white pelican are found at snow-melt ponds on the desert floor and at temporal wetlands. High above the desert floor, the Ferris Mountains and Green Mountains rim the Red Desert to the northeast. The mountains' boreal environment reaches as high as 10,037 feet (3,059 m), in

7015-522: The desert. Ponds fed by summer snowmelt attract a wide range of migratory birds such as ducks, trumpeter swans, and white pelicans. Herds of wild, free-roaming horses protected under the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 roam the area, despite roundups and population control efforts by the BLM. Bison were once common as well and their skulls and horns can occasionally be found there. In

SECTION 60

#1732837409440

7130-464: The dune fields is storing snowmelt and rain which support vegetation and wildlife. Water percolates deep into sand where it is safe from evaporating winds and sun. Such water is stored for access by basin large sagebrush and other vegetation depending upon the dunes' degree of stabilization. The few plant species that can survive on the active dunes include: Such plants help stabilize the sand by slightly reducing ground-level wind velocity. Stabilization

7245-469: The east of Red Desert was another remote section camp, Washakie. An American section foreman lived there amongst 23 others, including 13 Chinese laborers and an Irish crew foreman. In the various section camps along the main line of the Union Pacific Railroad, Chinese workers far outnumbered any other nationality. Though the 79 Chinese in Sweetwater County in 1870 represented only 4% of the total population, they were concentrated. In Rock Springs and Green River,

7360-561: The events of anti-Chinese violence in the American west, the Rock Springs massacre is considered the most widely publicized. Today, nearly all historians hold the view that the prime factor which contributed to the riot was race prejudice . However, a 1990 work on the Rock Springs massacre, written by journalist Craig Storti, marginalized the racial factor and put a stronger emphasis on the economic factors which contributed to violence. His book, Incident at Bitter Creek: The Rock Springs Massacre ,

7475-408: The existing miners. When the rioting ended, at least 28 Chinese miners were dead and 15 were injured. Rioters burned 78 Chinese homes, resulting in approximately $ 150,000 in property damage (equal to $ 5.09 million in 2023 terms). Despite the identification of the perpetrators, no individuals were prosecuted for the murders or property destruction. Tension between European and Chinese immigrants in

7590-429: The expulsion of Chinese immigrants, and on the evening of September 1, 1885, one day before the violence, legacy miners in Rock Springs held a meeting about the Chinese immigrants. It was rumored that threats were made that night against the Chinese, according to immigrants then residing there. At 7:00 a.m. on September 2, 1885, ten American men, in ordinary garb and miner's uniforms, arrived at coal pit number six at

7705-433: The first gunshots were fired by the squad at the pump house, followed by a volley from those at the coal shed. Lor Sun Kit, a Chinese laborer, was shot and fell to the ground. As the group at coal pit number three rejoined them, the crowd pressed on toward Chinatown, some men firing their weapons as they went. The smaller group of miners at the plank bridge divided itself into squads and surrounded Chinatown. One squad stayed at

7820-420: The fresh water ponds scattered throughout the dunes. At first glance the Red Desert's largely dry, barren landscape seems an unlikely location for some 350 wildlife species and more than 1,000 plant species. The sagebrush steppe and bunchgrass habitat support 40,000 to 50,000 pronghorn antelope, the largest migratory herd in the lower forty-eight states, mule deer and the world's largest desert elk herd. What

7935-636: The hold out by White miners in Rock Springs following the Rock Springs Riot. The organization avoided supporting the miners along the Union Pacific Railroad , because it did not want to be seen as condoning the violence at Rock Springs. When the Union Pacific Coal Department reopened the mines, it fired 45 White miners connected to the violence. After the riot in Rock Springs, sixteen men were arrested, including Isaiah Washington,

8050-448: The lake's lifespan (four million years) saw repeated patterns of rising and falling water levels. Gosiute reached its maximum surface area of 15,000 square miles (39,000 km ) with its shoreline stretching into Utah. During other times the lake evaporated completely. Lake Gosiute left behind a high concentration of saline materials and a deep primal ooze of organic matter. The former produced today's highly valued mineral trona , while

8165-474: The largest towns along the UP line, there were no Chinese residents reported in 1870. Throughout the 1870s, the Chinese population in Sweetwater County and all of Wyoming steadily increased. During the decade, Wyoming's total population rose from 9,118 to 20,789. In the 1870 U.S. census , what the government today calls "Asian and Pacific Islanders" represented 143 members of the population of Wyoming. The increase during

8280-576: The late 19th-century American West was particularly high, especially in the decade preceding the violence. The massacre in Rock Springs was one among several instances of violence culminating from years of anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States . The Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 suspended Chinese immigration for ten years, but not before thousands of immigrants came to the American West. Most Chinese immigrants to Wyoming Territory took jobs with

8395-511: The latter created coal-bed methane gas , coal , and the world's largest known oil-shale deposit. Energy sources have made the region the center of today's natural gas boom in Wyoming. The contemporary Red Desert watershed includes saline lakes and ponds that feature mud flats during wet years and dry lakes in droughts. Intermittent streams, dependent primarily upon snow melt but accelerated by summer thundershowers, cut arroyos throughout

8510-483: The laws which barred Chinese immigration, which he believed could have prevented incidents such as "the recent assault upon the Chinese at Rock Springs". In December 1885, U.S. President Grover Cleveland presented his State of the Union report to Congress, and in it, his reaction to the Rock Springs massacre. Cleveland's report pointed out that the United States was interested in good relations with China. He stated, "All of

8625-419: The legacy miners. Two of the women reportedly fired shots at the Chinese. As the riot wore on into the night, the Chinese miners scattered into the hills, lying in the grass to hide. Between 4 and 9 p.m., rioters set fire to the camp houses belonging to the coal company. By 9 p.m., all but one Chinese camp house was burned completely. In all, 79 Chinese homes were destroyed by fire. Damage to Chinese-owned property

8740-472: The majority of the 193 Chinese residing in Sweetwater County by 1880 worked in the coal mines or on the railroad. The riot was the result of a combination of racial prejudice and general resentment against Union Pacific. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act required that "... from and after the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and until the expiration of ten years next after

8855-424: The majority of the populace: Chinese immigrants ... segregate themselves from the rest of the residents and citizens of the United States and ... refuse to mingle with the mass of population ... As a consequence, race prejudice has been more excited against them, notably among aliens of other nationalities ... Denby's predictions caused Bayard to seek a Congressionally appropriated indemnity . At Bayard's urging,

8970-544: The massacre at Rock Springs. According to The New York Times , the rioting in Rock Springs fueled the desire of anti-Chinese Georgians in Augusta to air their grievances. The Rock Springs massacre was seen by observers at the time, and by historians today, as one of the worst and most significant instance of anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States . The riot received widespread media coverage from publications such as The National Police Gazette and The New York Times . Among

9085-430: The mine. After the work stoppage at pit number six, more American miners assembled near the town. They marched to Rock Springs by way of the railroad, carrying firearms. At about 10:00 a.m., the bell in the Knights of Labor meeting hall tolled, and the miners inside the building joined the already large group. There were some miners who opted to go to saloons instead of joining the gathering mob, but by 2:00 p.m.,

9200-540: The mountains north of the Red Desert beginning in 1867 led to stage and freight service from Point of Rocks on the Union Pacific Railroad north to South Pass City . There are segments of the Oregon, California, Mormon , and Pony Express trails, along with archeological and fossil artifacts . A westward-looking nation in 1869 united its eastern and western shores with the First transcontinental railroad , whose route traversed

9315-500: The old coal mining towns outside of Rock Springs. On June 10, 1892, Rock Springs National Bank opened on 515 S Main St, across from the Union Pacific depot. The original sandstone building was designed by Mayor H.H. Edgar who chose an Italianate style. In 1907, when John Hay Sr. assumed control of the business, the location moved to C Street. RSNB owned the original building until 1921 when it

9430-451: The opposite side of the bridge outside Chinatown. The smaller group entered by way of the town's plank bridge. Squads from the larger group broke off and moved up the hill toward coal pit number three. One squad took up a position at the pit number three coal shed; another, at the pump house . A warning party was sent ahead of the squads into Chinatown. They warned the Chinese they had one hour to pack up and leave town. After only 30 minutes,

9545-453: The outcome of the event, while in other Wyoming newspapers, support for the riot was limited to sympathy for the causes of the existing miners. The massacre in Rock Springs touched off a wave of anti-Chinese violence, especially in the Puget Sound area of Washington Territory . Chinese immigration to the United States at that time was neither uniform nor widespread. J. R. Tucker , writing for The North American Review in 1884, stated that

9660-675: The paper continued to assail not only the residents of Rock Springs who were involved in the violence, but those who stood by and let the mob continue its behavior. Newspapers in Wyoming, such as the Cheyenne Tribune and the Laramie Boomerang , reacted with sympathy toward the white miners. The Boomerang stated it "regretted" the riot but found extenuating circumstances surrounding the violence. In addition to newspapers, anti-Chinese sentiment and stereotypes came from other publications. The Chautauquan: A Weekly Newsmagazine characterized

9775-532: The passage of this act, the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States be, and the same is hereby, suspended; and during such suspension it shall not be lawful for any Chinese laborer to come." In the years preceding the Rock Springs massacre, the importation of Chinese labor was seen as a "system worse than slavery". The white miners at Rock Springs, being mostly Cornish , Irish , Swedish , and Welsh immigrants, believed lower-paid Chinese laborers drove down their wages. The Chinese at Rock Springs were aware of

9890-407: The plank bridge to cut off any Chinese escape. As the American miners moved into Chinatown, the Chinese became aware of the riot and that Leo Dye Bah and Yip Ah Marn, residents from the west and east sides of Chinatown, had already been killed. As the news of the events spread, the Chinese fled in fear and confusion. They ran in every direction: up the hill behind coal pit number three; others, along

10005-402: The population. There were 7,348 households, of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and

10120-540: The power of this government should be exhorted to maintain the amplest good faith towards China in the treatment of these men, and the inflexible sternness of the law ... must be insisted upon ... race prejudice is the chief factor to originating these disturbances". The massacre at Rock Springs led to other incidents of anti-Chinese aggression, primarily in Washington Territory, though there were incidents in Oregon and other states as well. Near Newcastle, Washington

10235-437: The pygmy rabbit. Elk depend upon tall brush near Steamboat Mountain for shelter during spring calving season and elsewhere for shade during the heat of summer. Yet the broader impact of sagebrush upon the ecology is its function as a living snow fence . Windblown snow builds up on the lee side of the brush during winter. This effectively stores moisture that is released into the soil in late spring and early summer. The result of

10350-640: The railroad and coal mining companies. The Welsh and British people were initially most populous. Later, Irish, Blacks and refugees from the Southern part of the United States also came. The Scandinavian people were represented with a heavy Mormon recruitment. One of the worst incidents of anti-immigrant violence in American history, known as the Rock Springs Massacre , occurred on September 2, 1885, whereby White miners slaughtered their Chinese counterparts due to anti-Chinese sentiment. There are still remains of

10465-406: The railroad at first, but many ended up employed in coal mines owned by the Union Pacific Railroad . As Chinese immigration increased, so did anti-Chinese sentiment on the part of white Americans. The Knights of Labor , one of the foremost voices against Chinese immigrant labor, formed a chapter in Rock Springs in 1883, and most rioters were members of that organization. However, no direct connection

10580-659: The removal of federal troops, but the mines at Rock Springs remained closed for a time. On September 30, 1885, White miners, mostly Finnish immigrants who were members of the Knights of Labor, walked out of mines in Carbon County, Wyoming , in protest of the company's continued use of Chinese miners. In Rock Springs, the White miners were not back at work in late September, because the company still used Chinese labor. Rock Springs steadily became quieter, and, on October 5, 1885, emergency troops, except for two companies, were removed. However,

10695-551: The riot. American diplomats warned their government that the backlash from the massacre could ruin U.S. trade with China; they also reported that British merchants and newspapers in China were encouraging the Chinese to "stand up for their oppressed countrymen in America." Denby advised that U.S. Secretary of State Thomas Bayard obtain compensation for the victims of the massacre. The United States government agreed to pay compensation for

10810-415: The riot. The view that the Chinese refused to assimilate into American culture was held historically and still carries some weight in present-day interpretations of the historical record. Present-day Rock Springs has a population pushing 20,000. The former settlement is a full-fledged city. The area that once encompassed Camp Pilot Butte is located on the north bank of Bitter Creek, in the northwest part of

10925-399: The saloons and grocers were persuaded by a Union Pacific official to close. With the saloons and grocers closed, about 150 men armed with Winchester rifles moved toward Chinatown in Rock Springs. They moved in two groups and entered Chinatown by crossing separate bridges. The larger group entered by way of the railroad bridge and was divided into squads, a few of which remained standing on

11040-561: The sick, were burned alive in their camp houses. Many of the Chinese who were burned in their houses apparently tried "to dig a hole in the cellar to hide themselves. However, the fire overtook them when about half way in the hole, burning their lower limbs to a crisp and leaving the upper trunk untouched." One remaining Chinese immigrant was found dead in a laundry house in Whitemen's Town, his home demolished by rioters. The attacks at Rock Springs were extraordinarily violent. The sheer brutality of

11155-493: The spring was found by a lost Pony Express rider, but the spring station was known to Jim Bridger before 1860; the Overland Stage station was located nearby. The spring disappeared when the coal mine operations interrupted the underground flow. Later an 'S' was added to the name making it "Rock Springs". Through the years, water supplies have been a problem to Rock Springs. In the early days, Ed Cleg hauled domestic water from

11270-429: The strike began. The company resumed mining with 50 American miners and 150 Chinese miners in its employ. As more Chinese arrived in Rock Springs, bitterness from the legacy miners increased. At the time of the massacre, there were about 150 legacy miners and 331 Chinese miners in Rock Springs. In the two years before the massacre, a "Whitemen's Town" was established in Rock Springs. By 1883, the Knights of Labor organized

11385-448: The sulfur spring north of Rock Springs and charged $ .25 a barrel. With the mining operations, the water flow was interrupted and water was hauled from Green River and Point of Rocks. Beginning in 1887, a water main was started from the Green River and completed in 1888 to bring a continuous supply of water to Rock Springs. Rock Springs has a multi-ethnic heritage; locals called it the 57 Variety Town. The first immigrants were brought in by

11500-511: The temporary posts of Camp Medicine Butte, established in Evanston, and of Camp Pilot Butte, in Rock Springs, remained long after the riot. Camp Pilot Butte closed in 1899 after the onset of the Spanish–American War . The labor strike was unsuccessful, and the miners went back to work within a couple of months. The national Knights of Labor organization refused to support the Carbon strike and

11615-695: The time. The Union Pacific Company found reliable water by drilling deep artesian wells in the desert. Some of these railroad wells, such as at Wamsutter continue to supply much needed water today for residents and the influx of oil and gas field workers who live in temporary housing or "man camps". Frontier expansion after the railroad's completion spurred new trade routes such as the New Fork Wagon Road that ran 80 miles (130 km) from Rock Springs, Wyoming , to New Fork . The New Fork Wagon Road connected isolated ranchers and settlements in northern Sweetwater and eastern Sublette Counties. The volume of cargo

11730-498: The titles on land he owned. He condemned the riot as "the most brutal and damnable outrage that ever occurred in any country." After the riot, rhetoric and reaction came from publications and key political figures concerning the events. The New York Times blasted the city of Rock Springs in the first of at least two editorials on the topic, stating, "the appropriate fate for a community of this kind would be that of Sodom and Gomorrah ". In another Times editorial on November 10, 1885,

11845-856: The vast majority of the nearly 100,000 Chinese immigrants resided within the American West : California, Nevada , Oregon , and the Washington Territory . The U.S. Minister to China, George Seward , had asserted similar numbers in Scribner's Magazine five years earlier. The first jobs Chinese laborers took in Wyoming were on the railroad, working for the Union Pacific company (UP) as maintenance-of-way workers. Chinese workers soon became an asset to Union Pacific and worked along UP lines and in UP coal mines from Laramie to Evanston. Most Chinese workers in Wyoming ended up working in Sweetwater County , but

11960-613: The violence at Rock Springs. After the riot, the U.S. government hesitated to make amends to the Chinese for the massacre. In China, the governor-general of the Guangdong region suggested that Americans in China might be the target of revenge for the events in Rock Springs. The American envoy to China, Charles Harvey Denby , and others in the diplomatic corps reported rising anti-American sentiment in Hong Kong and in Canton , Guangdong, following

12075-429: The violence startled the entire country. Besides those who were burned alive, Chinese miners were scalped, mutilated, branded , decapitated, dismembered, and hanged from gutter spouts. One of the Chinese miners' penis and testicles were cut off and toasted in a nearby saloon as a "trophy of the hunt". There were 28 confirmed deaths, and at least 15 miners were wounded. Some sources assert that 40 to 50 fatalities might be

12190-411: The wave of violence touched off at Rock Springs. The wave of anti-Chinese violence in the western United States following the Rock Springs Riot spread further, to the state of Oregon. Mobs drove Chinese workers out of small towns throughout the state in late 1885 and mid-1886. Other states reported incidents as well: As far away as Augusta, Georgia , anger was expressed against the Chinese in response to

12305-583: Was $ 51,541. Males had a median income of $ 44,809 compared with $ 22,609 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 19,396. About 6.4% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over. Rock Springs hosts the International Festival, the Blues and Brews Festival, the Wyoming Chocolate Festival and

12420-627: Was 3.67 in (93.2 mm) in September 1965, July 1973, and May 1995. The most snowfall in one year was 79.7 in (2.02 m) in 1995. The most snowfall in one month was 23.7 in (0.60 m) in February 2001. At the 2010 census , there were 23,036 people, 8,762 households and 5,849 families living in the city. The population density was 1,191.1 inhabitants per square mile (459.9/km ). There were 10,070 housing units at an average density of 520.7 per square mile (201.0/km ). The racial makeup of

12535-424: Was 98 °F (36.7 °C) on July 13, 2002, and the record low temperature was −37 °F (−38.3 °C) on January 12, 1963. The average annual precipitation is 10.45 inches (265.4 mm). There is an average of 61.7 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest calendar year was 1965 with 14.54 in (369.3 mm) and the driest 2012 with 3.14 in (79.8 mm). The most precipitation in one month

12650-516: Was another area in Wyoming where anti-Chinese sentiment was high. Rumors of the return of the Chinese to Rock Springs circulated immediately after the riots. On September 3, the Rock Springs Independent published an editorial which confirmed the rumors of "the return", as a few Chinese began to trickle back into town to search for valuables. The Independent said of the return of Chinese laborers to Rock Springs, "It means that Rock Springs

12765-423: Was estimated at around $ 147,000. Some Chinese died on the banks of Bitter Creek as they fled; others died near the railroad bridge as they attempted to escape Chinatown. The rioters threw Chinese bodies into the flames of burning buildings. Other Chinese immigrants, who had hidden in their houses instead of fleeing, were murdered, and then their bodies were burned with their houses. Those who could not run, including

12880-416: Was ever established linking the riot to the national Knights of Labor organization. In the immediate aftermath of the riot, United States Army troops were deployed in Rock Springs. They escorted the surviving Chinese miners, most of whom had fled to Evanston, Wyoming , back to Rock Springs a week after the riot. Reaction came swiftly from the era's publications. In Rock Springs, the local newspaper endorsed

12995-464: Was named Archie Hay Post. Rock Springs was featured on 60 Minutes in 1977 due to corruption within the Police Department and City Government. A grand jury was called into session. The Sheriff of Sweetwater County, James Stark, testified and no wrongdoing was ever found. A follow-up was filmed 20 years later for the show City Confidential . The episode was named "Rock Springs: Deadly Draw in

13110-604: Was sold to Anton Mengoni. Hay Sr. navigated the bank through the Great Depression and World War II, before retiring in 1947. John Hay Jr., his son, then took control of the bank, having to control wild growth during Wyoming's massive energy boom in the 1970s. Another of Hay Sr.'s sons was Archibald (Archie) Hay. Archibald was killed in France by a German plane in 1918. In his memory, Post 24 of the American Legion, chartered in 1919,

13225-517: Was widely criticized in reviews, though Storti stated he represented the historical record as it stood. There were labor considerations that contributed to the violence in Rock Springs, though they are generally seen as less significant. The use of Chinese workers by the railroad during an 1875 strike created widespread resentment among the White miners, which continued to build until the Rock Springs massacre. Storti's book described anti-Chinese racism as "pervasive" even while downplaying its significance to

#439560