In 1885, the Union Pacific Railroad employed 500 coal miners in Rock Springs, Wyoming, two-thirds of whom were Chinese.

On September 2, 1885, white miners became enraged at their Chinese coworkers for refusing to join their strike. Later that day, a mob of 100 white people gathered with guns, hatchets, and knives and marched toward “Chinatown,” where the Chinese miners lived, to stage a brutal attack in order to drive Chinese residents out of Rock Springs. When they attempted to flee, the mob fired at them while they ran.

Twenty-eight Chinese people were killed in the massacre and another 15 were badly wounded. The white mob also looted and burned all 79 houses belonging to Chinese residents, leaving "Chinatown" demolished. In the days following this attack, federal troops brought in to establish order set up camp between the white area of town and "Chinatown" to prevent more violence; troops remained there for the next 13 years. Although 14 white miners were arrested in connection with the massacre, none were ever convicted of any crime.

No marked gravesites exist for the victims because, at that time, “Orientals” were banned from white cemeteries. Instead, the victims were cremated and their ashes returned to China. Congress eventually authorized an indemnity to China in the amount of $147,748, but the U.S. government never assumed legal responsibility for the massacre.

In 2025, on the 140th anniversary of the Rock Springs Massacre, a seven-foot bronze statue depicting a Chinese miner entitled Requiem was dedicated to honor the victims killed and the community destroyed.

Green River Star