Near Lander in Fremont County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
The Atlantic City Project
The Iron Ore Boom and Bust
Photographed by Duane Hall, May 28, 2013
1. The Atlantic City Project Marker
The hills of the Sweetwater Mining District hold various minerals, and beginning in the 1960s, iron ore mining provided an economic boom for the area. In 1960 the U.S. Steel Corporation broke ground on the nation's highest open pit iron ore mine at 8,300 feet above sea level. By the spring of 1963 the complex was in full swing. Employees operated an open pit mine, an ore crushing and screening facility, a concentrating plant and water storage and handling system, and storage, loading, and shipping facilities.
A Union Pacific Railroad spur carried the processed ore to Winton Junction, ten miles north of Rock Springs, where it connected with the main line and rolled to the Geneva Steel Works in Provo, Utah and was converted into a variety of high-grade steel products. The mine produced more than 90 million tons of iron ore by the time U.S. Steel closed the mine in the spring of 1984, effectively busting the iron ore industry in this region.
Erected by Wyoming Historic Mine Trail and Byway System.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1960.
Location. 42° 31.505′ N, 108° 45.545′ W. Marker is
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Wind River Country. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Gold Flakes to Yellowcake Historic Mine Trail (here, next to this marker); Rock Creek (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Stambaugh, 1870-1878 (approx. 1.9 miles away); Miners Delight: The Booms Broken Promises (approx. 2 miles away); Atlantic City: Surviving the Bust (approx. 2½ miles away); South Pass and South Pass City (approx. 3.4 miles away); The English Tunnel (approx. 3.8 miles away); The Carissa Mine: Cycle of Boom and Bust (approx. 4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lander.
Photographed by Duane Hall, May 28, 2013
2. Close-up of Photo on Marker
Caption: The Atlantic City Project, photo courtesy of the American Heritage Center
Photographed by Duane Hall, May 28, 2013
3. The Atlantic City Project Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 25, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 2,935 times since then and 109 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 25, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
