South Pass City, Wyoming
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South Pass City is a census-designated place located in Fremont County, Wyoming. It is located 2 miles south of the intersection of highways 28 and 131. The closest town is Atlantic City. As of 2001, the city's population was listed at the entrance to the city limits as "about 17". Technically, the number of full-time residents is less than this number.
[edit] History
South Pass City sprang into existence as a stage and telegraph station on the Oregon Trail during the 1850s. The site of this first settlement differs from the current location, being on an area that is now called Burnt Ranch.
During the 1860s gold was discovered in the vicinity, and in 1867 the Carissa mine was opened. Prospectors and adventurers quickly arrived and founded what is today known as South Pass City. Within a year the community's population has swelled to about 2,000 people. Around this time William Bright, a saloon owner and representative for the city initiated a women's suffrage bill into the state's legislature. When the bill was signed into law by Governor John A. Campbell in December 1869, Wyoming became the first state in the union to recognize women's right to vote.
Within a decade the city's population shrank dramatically, thanks to a lack of large gold deposits. By the mid 1870s South Pass City's population was reduced to about 100 people. Over the next century the population of South Pass City declined further and property sank into disrepair.
At the end of the 20th century steps were taken to renew the community and turn it into a historical sight of interest. As a result the city today consists of two areas: South Pass City, in which a handful of residents live; and Old South Pass City, the historical re-creation of the city during its peak during the 1860s and 1870s.
