(South Pass City, WY) – This year’s Gold Rush Days packed the streets of South Pass City, with organizers running two packed shuttle buses all weekend just to keep up with the crowd moving between the hilltop parking lot and town.
As expected, temperatures stayed a bit cooler than down the hill in Lander, but the sun was still brutal. Visitors crowded into the shade along building fronts and under canopies set up near the food trucks, which handled meals all weekend alongside a steady rotation of local bands.
Passengers get off the shuttle bus on their way into Gold Rush Days Saturday in South Pass. h/t Carl Cote A Pony Express reenactor rides her horse down mainstreet as the crowds are advised to stand clear for the mail coming through Saturday at Gold Rush Days. h/t Carl Cote Children pan for gold in the river in South Pass City Saturday during Gold Rush Days. h/t Carl Cote A man sets off a cannon behind South Pass City during Gold Rush Days Saturday. h/t Carl Cote A blacksmith heats up a piece of metal in his forge Saturday at Gold Rush Days. h/t Carl Cote
Kids panned for gold with their families along the creek, while blacksmiths worked at anvils with period-correct tools, drawing steady crowds curious about how the trade was done during the town’s mining days. Vintage Base Ball games took place on the field on the edge of town as the weekend held a 4-team tournament made up of local ball players of all ages.
Vintage Base Ball players got their gloves to take the field at an inning switch Saturday in South Pass City. h/t Carl Cote A pitch sails toward home plate during a vintage Base Ball game at Gold Rush Days in South Pass City. h/t Carl Cote The Carissa drug store has Gold Rush Days visitors coming in and out of it all day. Many of the buildings in the historic town are kept up to their original states from the 1800s for tours and visitors to immerse themselves in the time period when gold was being mined. h/t Carl Cote The Carissa Mine sits nestled into the side of a hil near South Pass City Saturday. The defunct mine is open for tours during the summer. h/t Carl Cote
Every so often, the streets cleared for a Pony Express reenactment. A rider would gallop into town, swap horses in the middle of Main Street, then race off across the bridge near the gold panning area, retracing the route mail once took through South Pass.
The biggest crowd pleaser came on the hour, every hour, when cannon and anvil firings sent a boom rolling across the hillside. It was loud enough that spectators gather around early to get a peek at the action. (Check out this slow-motion video of an avil blast from the 2024 festivities here.)
Between the old timers’ Base Ball, the music, and the hands-on history, Gold Rush Days turns South Pass City, usually one of Wyoming’s quietest “ghost towns,” into one of its liveliest weekends.