Rock Springs, city (1990 pop. 19,050), alt. c.6,270 ft (1,910 m), Sweetwater co., SW Wyo., on Bitter Creek; inc. 1888. It is a cattle and sheep shipping point and the center of large natural trona mines that produce soda ash. Oil and gas production, electric-power distribution, a revived coal industry, food processing, a chemical industry, and tourism are also important. Rock Springs is the gateway to many recreational areas and natural wonders, and an annual rodeo is held there. It was settled around a trading post and stage station established on the Overland Trail in the 1860s.
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