Annual 3rd Grade History Fair Wraps Up at the Sweetwater County Museum

May 22, 2026 The annual 3rd Grade History Fair wrapped up this week at the Sweetwater County Historical Museum. This year, they saw over 600 students, teachers, and parents from 17 schools in the county for the program that takes students through the industries that built Sweetwater County. This includes public schools from both school districts, private schools in Green River and Rock Springs, and several homeschool families. 

Anchored at the 1931 Green River Post Office that holds the museum, students first have an opportunity to tour the museum with a guide. Then they learn about emigrant trails with “Pioneer Butter Making” where they churn their own butter and sample it on crackers. Then they move to a station about the building of the Transcontinental Railroad where they hit the Golden Spike to complete the tracks. If you were driving through Green River over the last few days, you may have seen classes walking to Centennial Park where the History Fair lessons continued with costumed interpreters teaching about the lives of Native Americans and Mountain Men who lived in the area. Finally, students cycle through a coal and trona mining activity, gold panning, and a sheepherding and ranching station where they get to look inside a real sheepherding wagon that Bill Taliaferro loans the museum from his family ranch each year.

Pictured Left: A student looks into the Taliaferro sheepwagon. Right: A student swings a hammer at the Golden Spike on a box built by the museum. When she hits the spike, a bell will ring.

Students had a great time and were very respectful of each other, the space, and most importantly the presenters they were learning from. The teachers, bus drivers, and chaperones are vital to a successful History Fair from students arriving on time to being prepared to learn.

This year, the museum would like to thank Cowboy Donuts for their generous donation of donuts for the volunteers’ breakfasts. “We couldn’t put this event on without our wonderful group of volunteers and we appreciate Cowboy Donuts donating food for them,” says Laura Dale. As Public Engagement Coordinator, she is responsible for scheduling teachers and recruiting volunteers for this program. “Students remember these activities for many years and the volunteers make those experiences meaningful and fun.”

History Fair has also been made possible through a Culture Grows Grant from Wyoming Humanities. Because of their support and partnership, the museum is providing students an opportunity to engage with the history that has shaped Sweetwater County and Wyoming.