ROCK SPRINGS — An annual depression-era celebration in Rock Springs was on par with Cheyenne’s Frontier Days, according to the Sweetwater County Historical Museum.

A Facebook post of a commemorative coin prompted several calls to the museum asking for more information. The coin bore the image of a Native American on one side; on the other was a depiction of a covered wagon, a figure on horseback, and the inscription “ROCK SPRINGS WYO DAYS OF ‘58 • SEPT 1-2 • 1933.” 

The “Days of ‘58″ celebration in 1933 coincided with Labor Day and commemorated what it declared to be the 75th anniversary of the founding of Rock Springs in 1858. That date is challenged as most historians believe the founding actually took place in 1862, when Ben Holladay established his Overland Trail Stage Line route and built a stage station on what is now Springs Drive, just west of Killpecker Creek.

The “Days of ‘58″ emphasized an overall old west theme. Everyone was encouraged to dress in frontier-era clothing and men were encouraged to grow beards; many who failed to do so were brought before a good-natured mock court and “fined” for their transgression.

A wide range of events and activities took place in downtown Rock Springs and Gilpin Field on Blair Avenue, including parades, an “electrical pageant,” Native American dancers, exhibition horseback riding, bocci ball, horseshoes, football and baseball competitions, roller skating races, foot races, bicycle races, casino and night club nights, dances, and floor shows at the Playmore on S. Front Street, which is now S. Main Street. As described by the Rock Springs Main Street/URA project, the Playmore was an important venue, “a popular spot for wrestling, boxing, skating, bowling, and dancing to the live music of Lawrence Welk, Harry James, Glen Miller, Guy Lombardo, and a local favorite, Ike’s Orchestra.”

The “Days of ‘58″ celebration continued to be an annual event for a number of years.