GREEN RIVER – The Sweetwater County Historical Museum, in partnership with Wyoming Humanities / thinkWy and the Smithsonian Institution, will soon present a special exhibition “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” in Green River.
The exhibit explores the developing landscape of rural America and opens September 11th at the Green River Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. “Crossroads” will be on view until October 24th.
The Sweetwater County Historical Museum and the Sweetwater County communities have been specifically selected by Wyoming Humanities / thinkWY to host Crossroads under the Museum on Main Street program – a national / state / local partnership to host exhibitions and programs for rural cultural organizations showcase .
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Crossroads examines how rural American communities changed in the 20th century. From the ocean to the shiny seas, most of the United States’ landscape remains rural, with only 3.5 percent of the landmass considered urban. Since 1900, the percentage of Americans living in rural areas has dropped from 60 percent to 17 percent. The exhibition looks at this remarkable social change and how rural Americans reacted to it.
The rich history of farming communities like Eden and Farson is an important aspect of life in the Sweetwater County’s rural communities.
The advanced preparations for “Crossroads” began on Tuesday with a virtual meeting led by Lucas Fralick of Wyoming Humanities / thinkWY, Dr. Bernadine Craft, Chair of the Wyoming Humanities Board, and Representative Chad Banks of the Wyoming House of Representatives & Rock Springs URA Manager. It is their desire to have programs and events across the county to complement the exhibition. To do this, they invite all organizations and communities across the county to participate.
Attended the meeting were representatives from Wyoming Humanities / ThinkWY, Rock Springs Historical Museum, Green River and Rock Springs Chambers of Commerce, Sweetwater County Library, Sweetwater County Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), Green River Mayor Pete Rust, Rock Springs Mayor. part of Tim Kaumo, Rock Springs Main Street / Urban Renewal Agency, and Sweetwater County Historical Museum. These and other participants become partners to host speakers, musicians, exhibitions and other events.
“Crossroads allows us to reflect on the history of Sweetwater County and how we became who we are today, but we are also excited to see what the future might hold for our community,” said David Mead. Director of the County Museum. “We want to have conversations about what makes our community unique and develop local exhibits and public programs to complement the Smithsonian exhibit.”
Life in the rural historic communities of Sweetwater County is featured in the upcoming Crossroads: Change in Rural America exhibit at the Green River Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. Here four children pose with their dog in front of their family’s company building in Superior in 1934.
In addition to Sweetwater County, “Crossroads” will tour five other Wyoming communities through June 18, 2022. the Homesteaders Museum in Torrington in early October 2021, the Laramie County Library in Cheyenne in January 2022, the Nicolaysen Museum in Casper College in February 2022, the Homesteader Museum in Powell in March 2022 and the Converse County Library in Douglas in May 2022.
The Green River Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center is located at 1155 W. Flaming Gorge Way in Green River. To learn more about Crossroads and other Museum on Main Street exhibits, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org or call the Sweetwater County Historical Museum at (307) 872-6435.
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