Sunrise, Wyoming facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Sunrise Mine Historic District
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Sunrise, Wyoming 1926
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 Location in Wyoming
Location in the United States
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| Location | Wyoming Highway 318, Platte County, Wyoming |
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| Built | 1898 |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000925 |
| Added to NRHP | December 23, 2005 |
Sunrise was once a busy mining town in Wyoming. It was built by a company called the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. This company mined iron ore there. Today, the entire area of the old town and mine is a special historic place. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Exploring Sunrise: A Mining Town's Story
In the 1880s, the land around Sunrise was important for mining copper. By 1890, a man named Charles A. Guernsey started a company. He wanted to mine iron in the area. The nearby town of Guernsey, Wyoming is named after him.
In 1898, the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (often called CF&I) began to lease mining rights. They wanted to get more iron for their factories. By 1904, CF&I bought the entire Sunrise Mine.
Building a Company Town
CF&I wanted Sunrise to be a perfect company town. A company town is a place where a company owns most of the homes and businesses. In the early 1900s, CF&I built many things. They built houses, boarding houses, a school, churches, and shops.
Later, in the 1910s and 1920s, the town got even better. This happened after some difficult times for workers in other places. CF&I added improved brick houses and a YMCA building. They also built parks, a playground, and a hospital. The town's water and power systems were also made better. By 1928, the mine employed 547 people.
How Iron Was Mined
At first, miners used methods like strip mining. This means they removed dirt and rock from the surface to get to the ore. They also used "glory-hole mining." This involved digging large, open pits.
In 1930, they started using a new method called block caving. This is an underground mining technique. By World War II, all mining at Sunrise was done underground. The iron ore was partly processed at Sunrise. Then, it was sent to CF&I's mills in Pueblo, Colorado.
The Mine's End
The quality of the iron ore slowly decreased over time. Also, there were problems in the steel market in the United States. Because of these reasons, CF&I closed the town and mine in 1980.
Over its lifetime, the Sunrise mine produced 40 million tons of iron ore. This was more than any other CF&I mine. In 2005, the Sunrise mining district was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is recognized as an important historical site.
Getting to Sunrise
Wyoming Highway 318 runs west from Sunrise. It goes about one mile to Hartville, Wyoming. In Hartville, it connects with Wyoming Highway 270.
