NEWS & EVENTS
LOCATION:
3
East Flaming Gorge Way
Green
River, Wyoming 82935
Just
blocks from
I-80 Exits 89 & 91
HOURS:
Monday — Saturday
10
am to 6 pm
Closed Sundays
& major holidays
ADMISSION:
FREE!
CONTACT:
(307) 872-6435
(307) 352-6715
(307) 872-3234 fax
Email:
swchm@sweetwater.net
see us on Facebook
Click on map below to enlarge
Current Events
October 15, 2011 - From the Melting Pot - Tamales with Elda Reyes
Wyoming State Historic Mine Byways Project
Upcoming Events
Holiday Closings
Columbus Day,
October 8-10;
Veteran's Day,
November 11-14,
Thanksgiving,
November 24-27
Past Events
Superior Native Frank Prevedel Authors New Community History
New Exhibits on Superior History
Historic Granger Cemetery Project Completed
February 12, 2011 - From the Melting Pot - Scandinavian Sweets
March 7, 2011 - Presentation on Homesteading Women in the West
April 9, 2011 - From the Melting Pot - Ukrainian Easter Eggs
Dollhouses and Vintage Toys Christmas Display
Presentation on
Peru: Tracking
Down a Lost
Railroad Section
Camp
Saturday, October
15
Tamales
with Elda Reyes
9 am to noon
Young at Heart
Senior Center,
2400 Regan, Rock
Springs
Class limited to
20 persons
Class fee: $20
Register at:
Sweetwater County
Historical Museum
872-6435
Rock Springs
Historical Museum
362-3138
Wyoming State Historic Mine Byways Project
Ruth Lauritzen, SWCHM Director, is working to put Green River on the map to acknowledge its historic mining past. Work has continued on nomination for the Wyoming State Historic Mine Byways program which will highlight some of the historic chemical industries around Green River. The proposal contains information and potential interpretive sites on the sal soda, trona, potash and oil shale industries. Once the nomination is complete, it will be submitted to the state for consideration in the program.
Superior Native
Authors New
Community History
Nestled in Horse
Thief Canyon
north and east of
Rock Springs, the
town of Superior,
Wyoming has
always survived,
even when the
major employer,
Union Pacific
Coal Company,
closed and a
great deal of the
town site was
removed. The
story of this
town--really the
story of two
towns--is told in
a new local
history book
Images of
America: Superior
and South
Superior
by
Frank Prevedel.
The book is
released on June
13 and the
Sweetwater County
Historical Museum
and the Town of
Superior will be
hosting an author
signing and
reception in the
Superior Town
Administration
Building on
Saturday June
18th from 2-4
p.m. Refreshments
will be served
and visitors can
view the exhibits
at the Superior
Museum, which
have been
developed by the
town and the
Sweetwater County
Historical Museum
staff. All
profits from the
book will benefit
the Sweetwater
County Museum
Foundation.
Born in Superior, raised in South Superior, and a graduate of Superior High School, Frank Prevedel experienced all aspects of coal town life, including working in the mines during his breaks from college. A retired educator and administrator and former state senator, Prevedel has always kept his ties to his hometown, participating in the planning of a number of reunions for former citizens of the towns. "I just didn't want Superior and South Superior to be forgotten," he says, "The people who came here were the true pioneers. Often living conditions were rudimentary at best, especially in the early days. These people came, stayed, worked and made a community."
After the coal mines shut down, most of the population left, with only a fraction of them remaining, mostly living in South Superior, the independent, non-company sister city. By 1963 the town of Superior was disincorporated. The "South" was dropped in 1984, and the remaining town is known as Superior. "It is uncanny how far and wide the residents of Superior are," Prevedel muses, "I seem to meet people who lived in Superior wherever I go."
"We are thrilled for Frank and the community as a whole," comments Richelle Johnson, Mayor of Superior. "Things like this book build a bridge between the past and the future. We are happy to have been a part of this project."
The book is part of the Images of America series published by Arcadia Publishing. These books are designed to tell a community's story through photographs. The majority of images from Superior and South Superior were provided by the Sweetwater County Historical Museum, others by the Rock Springs Historical Museum, the Superior Museum, the Wyoming State Archives, the American Heritage Center of the University of Wyoming, the New Studio, the author's collection, and numerous individuals.
The Superior Museum is located in the Superior Town Administration Building and is open during regular building hours, Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Sweetwater County Historical Museum is a unit of Sweetwater County government, which exists to preserve and present the heritage of Sweetwater County. The museum is located at 3 E. Flaming Gorge Way in Green River. For information on group and special tours call (307) 872-6435 or (307) 352-6715 or contact us by e-mail at swchm@sweetwater.net. Also, visit our website at www.sweetwatermuseum.org and see us on Facebook.
New Exhibits on Superior History
In the wave of
attention the
"Live Ghost Town"
of Superior has
received from the
recent release of
the book
Images of
America: Superior
and South
Superior by
Frank
Prevedel, the
Superior Town
Administration
Building has also
received a
face-lift. The
Sweetwater County
Historical
Museum, in
collaboration
with the Rock
Springs
Historical
Museum, has
opened new
exhibits in the
hallway and
museum gallery
located in the
building. A
series of
photographs from
the new book line
the hall and
exhibits in the
gallery feature
the history of
local coal mining
and the life of
the townspeople
above ground.
The Superior
gallery exhibits
are a product of
a practicum
completed by
University of
Wyoming student
Ashley Page
during her summer
internship with
the Sweetwater
County Historical
Museum. Artifacts
and
photos in the
exhibits come
from the county
museum
collection, as
well as that of
the Rock Springs
Historical
Museum. The
Superior Town
Administration
Building is open
Monday-Thursday,
8am to 5:30pm,
and is closed
from 12-12:30pm.
The Sweetwater County Historical Museum is a component unit of Sweetwater County government which exists to preserve and present the heritage of Sweetwater County. The museum is located at 3 E. Flaming Gorge Way in Green River. For information on group and special tours call (307) 872-6435 or contact us by e-mail at swchm@sweetwater.net. Also, visit our website at www.sweetwatermuseum.org and see us on Facebook.
Historic Cemetery Project Completed
A largely
forgotten and
neglected burial
ground, the
Granger Municipal
Cemetery, has
been documented
and entered into
historical
property
records. The
completion of the
project was
commemorated by a
dedication
program held in
Granger on July
3rd.
The project began when the Granger Town Council decided to do some beautification of their small municipal cemetery. Officially created in 1914, the plot contains eight marked graves dating between 1895 and 1942. However, there were a number of suspected graves as well. When it was discovered that the cemetery records were not held by the town, the Sweetwater County Historical Museum was consulted as to their location. Museum Director Ruth Lauritzen assisted Mayor Lenore Perry and town employee Linda Williams in determining that the records were not currently being held by the City of Green River, Sweetwater County or the Wyoming State Archives.
Because the documentation of historic cemeteries is an important part of preserving local history, the museum staff agreed to assist with the project. Archaeologist Russel Tanner, a Granger native, was contacted and he agreed to work on the project. Financial support was sought and received from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, the Sweetwater County Museum Foundation and the Sweetwater County Historical Society. Technical assistance for the project was provided by the Wyoming State Archaeologist's Office (WSAO).
In early May of 2010 Dr. Danny Walker of the WSAO, Russel Tanner, Ruth Lauritzen and several volunteers from the Town of Granger conducted electrical resistance studies to determine the location of disturbed soil, a sign of potential graves. During the following year Tanner also researched burials in Granger through newspapers and mortuary records.
Final results determined that there are thirty graves in the cemetery. Some possible identities of the unidentified burials were determined, but it was impossible to attach a name to specific burials without further study. A copy of the project report is held at Granger Town Hall , Sweetwater County Historical Museum and the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office and an interpretive sign telling the history of the cemetery and the project was mounted at the cemetery. The site has also been included on the list of Wyoming Cultural Properties. This status verifies the historical significance of the place and provides special protections for it.
The dedicatory event included a welcome by Mayor Perry, a brief history of the project by Lauritzen, a report on the findings of the study by Tanner, and some dedicatory remarks by Pastor Gary Brantley of the Granger Baptist Church. Brantley also announced that his congregation has committed to erect a wooden cross on each unidentified grave and assist the town with the maintenance of the cemetery. "Our church family is happy to make this commitment," said Brantley, "because these people buried here, though mostly unknown, were dear to someone."
"Since we are the museum of all of Sweetwater County we are happy to assist with this effort in one of our outlying communities", Lauritzen commented. "The board and staff of the Sweetwater County Historical Museum are proud of this project and appreciate the support which came from so many sources. The citizens of Granger also have every right to be proud of demonstrating good stewardship of their local history."
The Sweetwater
County Historical
Museum is an
agency of
Sweetwater County
government, which
exists to
preserve and
present the
heritage of
Sweetwater
County. The
museum is located
at 3 E. Flaming
Gorge Way in
Green River. For
information on
group and special
tours call (307)
872-6435 or (307)
352-6715 or
contact us by
e-mail at
swchm@sweetwater.net.
Also, visit us on
Facebook or at
our website
www.sweetwatermuseum.org.
During this past
summer the museum
offered a new
type of
internship, one
focusing on
Public History.
According to
historian Emma
Wilmer, " Public
history is
history,
practically
applied. It is
based on the
understanding
that history is
not taught solely
in the classroom,
but
is learned in a
variety of
places, and in a
variety of ways."
The internship
was filled by
Julia Stuble who
had a number of
experiences in
the field
including
research and
application for a
historic mine
trail program,
research of
buildings in
downtown Green
River for a Main
Street walking
tour brochure,
presentation of
historic tours
for children and
adults,
participation in
meetings with the
Green River
Certified Local
Government
(Historic
Preservation)
commission,
preparation and
presentation of
annual budgets,
meeting materials
and reports and
other items of
administration
and event
planning and
execution. The
internship was
sponsored by the
Sweetwater County
Historical
Society and Julia
also received the
annual
scholarship
offered by the
Society.
David Mead, SWCHM Exhibits Coordinator, and Julia Stuble, Museum Intern, taught two sessions for the Summer 2011 Green River BOCES program. The first session was an all-day bird-watching/history field trip to Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. They also led a history field trip along the Wild Horse Tour Loop from Green River to Pilot Butte.
Ruth Lauritzen,
SWCHM Director
and Exhibits
Coordinator David
Mead served on
the advisory
committee for the
newly-opened
Green River
Visitor's Center.
Ruth served as a
consultant and
provided text for
historic
interpretation at
the center. David prepared
interpretive
panels and served
on the landscape
design committee,
which included
designing a
monumental engraved rock
sign for the
center.
The image at the
left is an
artist's
conception of the
sign for the
Visitor's Center.
The first two Melting Pot programs of 2011 were:
Saturday,
February 12
Scandinavian
Sweets with
Ann Maria Matilla
Kiisseli
(fruit soup) and
Kardemumma Kakut
(cardamom
cookies)
Expedition
Island, Green
River 9 a.m. to
noon
Saturday,
April 9 Ukrainian
Easter Eggs with
Donna Toly
Learn to make
your own ornate
eggs using wax as
a dye resist
Lunch provided.
Supply list will
be available at
registration.
Both programs had a registration fee of $20 with all profits going to local non-profits and are limited to 20 participants. The City of Green River Parks and Recreation Department sponsored both programs. Registration and questions: Sweetwater County Historical Museum 872-6435 or 352-6715 or Rock Springs Historical Museum 352-6715.
HOMESTEADING WOMEN IN THE WEST
On March 7th 2011 at 7 p.m. the Sweetwater County Historical Museum in Green River, Wyoming, hosted an event examining the lives of homesteading women in particular the life of Elinore Pruitt Stewart whose homestead at Burnt Fork, Wyoming still stands. Ruth Lauritzen, Director of the Sweetwater Historical Museum will give a presentation on Pruitt Stewart and her family and this will be followed by a presentation by Marcia M. Hensley on Pruitt Stewart and women homesteaders generally. Professor Hensley was Associate Professor of English, Western Wyoming Community College and is now retired. Her book Staking Her Claim - Women Homesteading in the West was published by the High Plains Press in 2008.
In 2010 The Public Media Foundation in Boston produced a one hour audio dramatization of “The Letters of Elinore Pruitt Stewart.” This dramatization has been broadcast on many public radio stations including public radio stations in Wyoming and is now available on the Public Media Foundation’s website www.scribblingwomen.org, together with curriculum and lesson plans prepared by Professor Hensley and Susanne George Bloomfield, Professor of English, The University of Nebraska. Professor Bloomfield is the author of The Adventures of the Woman Homesteader – the Life and Letters of Elinore Pruitt Stewart published in 1992 by the University of Nebraska Press. Selections from the Public Media Foundation’s dramatization were played at the March 7th event in Green River and the web curriculum was viewed.
Contact: Ruth
Lauritzen,
Director
Sweetwater County
Historical Museum
3
East Flaming
Gorge Way
Green River, WY
82935
Email:
swchm@sweetwater.net
Tel: 307 872
6435
Dollhouses and
Vintage Toys
Featured at
County Museum
Christmas has
come again to the
Sweetwater County
Museum with
vintage toys
coming out of
storage for the
season. The Graf
dollhouse makes
its annual
appearance
beginning at 4
p.m. on
Wednesday,
December 8th, as
do several other
miniature houses
from the museum
collection. The
Graf dollhouse
was built and
furnished in the
1930s by Green
River residents
George and Louise
Graf for their
daughter Mary
Louise. This
house is not a
model in perfect
scale, but a
well-loved toy.
Visitors will
also see a
dollhouse made by
the Bliss Company
of Rhode Island.
Bliss
manufactured
dollhouses
between 1889 and
1914. The Bliss
house in the
exhibit dates
from 1904 and
belonged Erma
Mercer. It
features a
Moorish keyhole
arch and
elaborately
printed paper
applied to the
interior and
exterior walls as
was typical of
Bliss houses of
the era. A
dollhouse and
roombox on loan
from local
miniaturists are
on exhibit as
well.
Toys in display
include various
metal pieces like
a Ferris wheel
and airplane. A
sled, bought for
$5 at the
Chrisman Candy
and Novelty Store
in 1886, provided
outdoor fun for
the Viox children
in Green River.
The pride and joy
of many boys, a
1952 Crosman Arms
Co. pellet gun
appears in the
exhibit.
In honor of the
season, the
exhibit contains
a Santa suit used
by a local man
for many years
and a shiny
silver Christmas
tree with a
rotating color
wheel from the
1960's. Historic
holiday
photographs are
part of the
exhibit as well.
This exhibit is
dedicated to the
memory of Justin
Keith, son of
museum staff
member Cyndi
McCullers, and
Eric Keith.
Justin was known
for his
light-hearted and
playful spirit
and he is greatly
missed.
The exhibit opens at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, December 8th in conjunction with the lighting of the community Christmas tree in downtown Green River. The museum will be open until 8 p.m. that evening and all are welcome to come in, warm up and see the exhibit.
The shopkeeper
presides over the
interior of his
tobacco and
stationary store.
This room box was
created by a
local miniaturist
Ruth Lauritzen
and contains
miniatures from
her personal
collection.
Dollhouses and
vintage toys are
on display at the
Sweetwater County
Historical Museum
through the
holiday season.
Erma Mercer wrote her name on the back of her dollhouse when she received it in 1904. The house was manufactured by a major American maker, Bliss and shows the typical detailed paper designs covering the interior and exterior walls.
The Gaensslen family Christmas tree is admired by the baby of the family on Christmas Day in 1910. Historic photos are featured in the holiday exhibit at the Sweetwater County Historical Museum.
Peru: Tracking Down a Lost Railroad Section Camp
Section camps are
as much of a part
of railroad
history as
locomotives and
depots, yet there
is little
documentation for
many of them.
Section camps
were, in essence,
small villages of
railroad-owned
structures which
housed the crews
charged with the
maintenance of a
designated
portion of track,
or section.
Located west of
Green River was
such a settlement
named Peru.
What was in Peru
and what went on
there? Dr.
Dudley Gardner,
Professor at
Western Wyoming
Community College
and Ruth
Lauritzen,
Director at the
Sweetwater County
Historical Museum
will discuss the
story of Peru and
other section
camps in
southwestern
Wyoming at a
program held on
Wednesday,
December 15 at 7
p.m. at the
Sweetwater County
Library, 300 N.
1st E. in Green
River. The
program is
sponsored by the
Sweetwater County
Historical Museum
and is free and
open to the
public.
Gardner and Lauritzen participated in a two-year project resulting in the completion of an archeological dig at Peru. Partners in the project include the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, City of Green River, Western Wyoming Community College, Bureau of Land Management, Current Archaeological Services and Sweetwater County Historical Museum.
Photo: Peru, a section camp west of Green River, was a small settlement of railroad workers and their families. This historic photograph shows Peru in the early 1900s.
To see a short presentation on Peru Section Camp click here.