Industry

Industrious Beginnings Still Thriving Today

It’s hard not to notice that the industrial roots of Southwest Wyoming are alive and well. Over time, Sweetwater County’s pioneering past has transformed into a pioneering present day as the area has emerged as a leader of the world’s energy industry.

The booming days of coal mining’s past have given way to new and innovative coal-mining practices in the area such as coal gasification and clean-coal technology which helps supply dependable energy nationwide. Sweetwater County is also home to the most massive and easily mineable deposits of trona in the world. Trona is the raw material for soda ash and it’s used to make glass, paper and several other common products.

Want to learn more about the abundant trona in Sweetwater County? Download the TravelStory GPS App on iPhone or Android to learn more about and travel the Trona Trail Historic Mine Byway in and around the town of Green River.

Oil and natural gas production is a major component of Sweetwater County’s industrial makeup with drilling rigs freckling the horizon, extracting oil and gas from some of the largest deposits in North America. Numerous gas plants exist throughout the county, and many can be seen from Interstate 80. In all, the minerals extracted in the county account for 67% of the area’s total revenue. 

Not a bad day’s work just living off the land. You can discover the county’s pioneering and industrious past at such sites as Reliance Tipple, the Rock Springs Historical Museum and Sweetwater County Historical Museum.

Wyoming PBS recently featured a program about Wyoming Trona, highlighting a local mine here in Sweetwater County. Click here to view. 

Click here for additional info on the soda ash industry.