SOUTHERN WYOMING - Montana and Wyoming - page 722

seums and an interesting international flavor that dates back to coal mining and railroad
development around the turn of the 20th century.
Green River (population 12,662, elevation 6,109 feet) is an old railroad town that got
its start as a station along the Overland and Pony Express routes. It has a rather industrial
history spanning the railroads and mines in the region, but it is best known for its name-
sake river, which courses speedily through town. The Green River forms the headwaters of
the Colorado River basin and was for years a prime shipping route for timber. Major John
Wesley Powell launched two of his biggest expeditions from here, including his first into
the unexplored Grand Canyon in 1869. Surrounded by magnificent multicolored buttes and
outcroppings, the town is still very much centered around the river and is a popular launch-
ing spot for raft and kayak expeditions.
Economically speaking, Sweetwater County owes its growth to the world's largest
known deposit of trona ore (a type of soda ash used in chemicals, laundry detergent, kitty
litter, and glass), the production of which employs more than 2,240 people at five local
mines. Soda ash produced from Wyoming's trona reserves accounts for 90 percent of all the
soda ash in the United States and is Wyoming's biggest export with some 50 percent sold
overseas. Coal mining continues, and large reserves of oil and natural gas in the area are
relatively untapped but being eyed by Halliburton and Exxon.
SIGHTS
Museums
There are a number of museums in this region worth a visit. The Sweetwater County
Historical Museum (3 E. Flaming Gorge Way, Green River, 307/872-6435,
www.sweetwatermuseum.org , 10am-6pm Mon.-Sat., free) will surprise visitors with its vast
and thorough displays. The museum has done a good job of documenting the history of the
region and exhibits many artifacts from the daily life of ranchers, miners, and the numerous
immigrants who came to the region. Visitors can see everything from a dinosaur's fossilized
footprint to a rifle from Butch Cassidy's gang, to an RCA Victor Victrola phonograph, and
a wedding dress from 1903. There is also an engaging video and display about the horrific
Chinese massacre in Rock Springs.
In Rock Springs, the Rock Springs Historical Museum (201 B St., Rock Springs, 307/
362-3138, www.rswy.net , 10am-5pm Mon.-Sat., free) is situated in the stately city hall,
built from sandstone in 1894 for a total of $28,200. The museum documents the city's di-
verse immigrant population, its coal-mining history, and the illegal activity and outlaws it
also attracted. The Wyoming Community College Natural History Museum (2500 Col-