Rock Springs, City center in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, US.
Rock Springs sits at 1947 meters elevation near the Continental Divide in southwestern Wyoming and covers roughly 50 square kilometers of high desert terrain. The city ranks among the larger population centers in the state and includes schools, a community college, and access through Interstate 80.
The settlement gained official status in 1888 after coal deposits attracted the Union Pacific Railroad to the region. Mining operations drew workers from around the world and helped the town grow into one of the larger cities in Wyoming.
Miners from 56 nations arrived to work in the coal seams, bringing their languages and customs with them into this high-altitude settlement. Today street names and a few older neighborhoods recall that era, though many communities have now blended together over the generations.
The location along Interstate 80 makes this a convenient stopping point for travelers moving between Salt Lake City and Cheyenne. Gas stations, grocery stores, and a few restaurants line the main road that runs parallel to the highway.
The natural spring that gave the town its name vanished over the years as underground coal mining in district number six altered the rock layers. Water no longer found its way to the surface after the tunnels changed the geology beneath the ground.
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