09/02/2026
The Old West wasn't always cowboys, cattle drives, and legendary gunfights.
On September 2, 1885, a violent attack on Chinese coal miners in Rock Springs, Wyoming, left at least 28 people dead and much of the town's Chinese community destroyed.
Tensions over jobs and wages had been building, but anti-Chinese prejudice played a major role in the violence.
Hundreds of survivors were forced to flee, and despite arrests following the massacre, no one was ever convicted.
It's a difficult story—but it's part of the history of the American West, and history is worth remembering.
