The Point of Rocks Stage Station is a former resting place at the meeting point of the

Overland Trail The Overland Trail (also known as the Overland Stage Line) was a stagecoach and wagon trail in the American West during the 19th century. While portions of the route had been used by explorers and trappers since the 1820s, the Overland Trail w ...

and the Union Pacific Railroad in

Sweetwater County, Wyoming Sweetwater County is a county in southwestern Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 42,272, making it the fourth-most populous county in Wyoming. Its county seat is Green River. By area, it is the larges ...

, USA. It was built as a stop for the Overland Stage Line in the 1861 or 1862, equidistant between the earlier Black Buttes and Salt Wells stations, which were apart. The station served the stage line from 1862 to 1868. In 1868, the Union Pacific line reached Point of Rocks, putting the stage line out of business. The station then became a freight depot for nearby mines, with a road leading to

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

and South Pass. The freight activity declined, and in 1877, the station became a residence. At one point it was allegedly inhabited by Jim McKee, a former member of the

Hole in the Wall Gang The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang was a gang in the American Wild West, which took its name from the Hole-in-the-Wall Pass in Johnson County, Wyoming, where several outlaw gangs had their hideouts. Description The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang was not simp ...

. It became the property of the state of Wyoming in 1947 and is administered as Point of Rocks Stage Station State Historic Site. Point of Rocks Station is sited next to the alkaline Bitter Creek, in a valley framed by steep cliffs. The station is a low one-story building, built of local sandstone with mud mortar. The station has burned at least once, and roof construction is a timber structure with metal covering. A stable building is nearby. The station is close to the present-day

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 3, 1970.

References

External links

Point of Rocks Stage Station State Historic Site
Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails
Point of Rocks Stage Station State Historic Site
Wyoming State Historical Society
Point of Rocks Stage Station
Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
Point of Rocks Stage Station, Rock Springs vicinity, Point of Rocks, Sweetwater, WY
Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)
Point of Rocks Stage Station, Stable, Rock Springs vicinity, Point of Rocks, Sweetwater, WY
Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) {{Protected areas of Wyoming Stagecoach stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming Buildings and structures completed in 1862 Buildings and structures in Sweetwater County, Wyoming Historic American Buildings Survey in Wyoming Wyoming state historic sites Pre-statehood history of Wyoming Tourist attractions in Sweetwater County, Wyoming 1862 establishments in Nebraska Territory National Register of Historic Places in Sweetwater County, Wyoming Overland Trail IUCN Category III