To observe the start of a new decade, we decided to look back at what things were like in Rock Springs during the third decade of the last century.
So, what’s changed 100 years later? Just about everything, but one thing that has not changed is that many of the buildings that stood in Downtown Rock Springs in the 1920s are still here today.
Thanks to help from both the Rock Springs Historical Museum and the Sweetwater County Museum, we were able to find historic photos of buildings (and a famous landmark) that have stood the test of time. Photos from today show that while a lot has changed, some things manage to stay the same.
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Built by Slavic immigrants in 1913, the Slovenski Dom was used by many social and ethnic groups and the first International Night was held at the Slovenski Dom during the 1920s.(Photo courtesy of the Rock Springs Historical Museum).
Today, the Slovenski Dom is occupied by The Emporium on Bridger.
This photo dated from 1932 shows Quirks Drug Store and the Hudak’s Department Store on K Street.(Photo courtesy of the Rock Springs Historical Museum).
Today the building is home to Rushmore Furniture and The Pickin’ Palace.
J.C. Penney Company Dry Goods moved into this location on North Front Street in 1929.(Photo courtesy of the Rock Springs Historical Museum). The building still stands and the most recent business to operate there was the Rep Center.
The Elks Lodge building, home to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodge No. 624, was built in 1922.(Photo courtesy of the Sweetwater County Museum).
The Elks Lodge building now, catching afternoon shadows from the building opposite on C Street.
The Park Hotel Opened in 1914 and the fourth floor was added in the 1920s. (Photo courtesy of the Rock Springs Historical Museum).
Businesses still occupy the Park Hotel building today, including the Fiesta Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant.
North Front Street then and now.
The Rock Springs Coal Arch in the 1920s.(Photo courtesy of the Sweetwater County Museum).
In a different location today, the Coal Arch still proudly welcomes visitors to downtown Rock Springs.
Western Auto Transit Company “Southern Wyoming’s oldest automobile dealer” was built in 1910. (Photo courtesy of the Rock Springs Historical Museum).
Today, the building on B Street is home to Allied Glass.
Built in 1919, the The First National Bank building spent decades as a business center in the community and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.(Photo courtesy of the Sweetwater County Museum).
The building is vacant today, but hopes are high that will change in the coming years thanks to a restoration effort currently underway.
