Near South Pass City in Fremont County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
South Pass and South Pass City
In 1866, however, traffic on the great trails had dwindled with the anticipated completion of the transcontinental railroad. Then, in 1867, gold was discovered on Willow Creek. The rush was on. By 1869 more than 30 mines were in operation and some 3,000 people populated the region. The instant towns of South Pass City, Atlantic City and Miners Delight were rip-roaring and wide open for business.
This lusty, male-dominated mining district became the unlikely center of a move for female suffrage when it elected William H. Bright, a South Pass City miner and saloon keeper, to the first Wyoming Territorial Council in Cheyenne. Bright introduced a Female Suffrage Act that gave all adult Wyoming women the right to vote and hold public office. The Act was passed by the legislative body and signed into law on December 10, 1869, making Wyoming the first official government in the country to grant equal rights to women.
The mining boom went bust in the 1870s, and the population moved on to the next bonanza. The towns became near ghosts, although some limited mining activity continued. Today the region is operated as a Historic Mining District by the Bureau of Land Management. South Pass City, two miles south, is a Wyoming State Historic Site.
Erected by Historical Landmark Commission of Wyoming.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1854.
Location. 42° 29.586′ N, 108° 48.582′ W. Marker is near South Pass City, Wyoming, in Fremont County. Marker is on Dickinson Avenue (State Highway 28) near South Pass City Road / B Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lander WY 82520, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Carissa Mine: Cycle of Boom and Bust (approx. 1.4 miles away); South Pass City: Wyoming’s Biggest Gold Boom and Bust (approx. 1.4 miles away); How a Stamp Mill Works (approx. 1½ miles away); Crushing Gold Ore (approx. 1.6 miles away); First Masonic Lodge in Wyoming (approx. 1.7 miles away); South Pass City (approx. 1.8 miles away); Esther Hobart Morris (approx. 1.8 miles away); Rock Creek (approx. 3.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in South Pass City.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on January 7, 2015, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 565 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 7, 2015, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.