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South Superior Union Hall

 
 

Read All About It:

The South Superior Union Hall, constructed in 1921, is a parallelogrammatic structure and may possibly be the only building in Wyoming with this distinctive configuration. Bituminous coal mining was a significant force in the economic development of Sweetwater County. As Union Pacific trains crossed southern Wyoming and Sweetwater County, coal was utilized as fuel for their engines. Initially Rock Springs was the leading coal producing area in the county but, as these coal mines were depleted, prospectors discovered coal twenty miles to the northeast near present day Superior. By 1906, Superior Coal Company operated five mines in the general vicinity of Superior and South Superior. Small company towns prospered in response to the needs of local miners; the towns of Superior and South Superior incorporated in 1911. As the number of miners in the area grew, the United Mine Workers started organizational activities in Wyoming. By 1908, the UMW was strongest in the southern Wyoming coal fields. In South Superior six UMW locals contributed to the construction fund for a substantial union hall in 1921. The hall acted as host for a variety of activities from political rallies to social gatherings and recreational events. In addition, the hall housed doctor and dentist offices. Important social, political and union events kept the building busy until the Union Pacific mines closed during the 1960s. As an integral part of South Superior's past, the union hall represents the importance that mining and unionism achieved during the town's earliest years

 
South-Superior-Union-Hall
 

 

Date Added to Register:
Friday, November 25, 1983
 
Location:
South Superior
 
County:
Sweetwater County
 
Smithsonian Number: 
48SW4069