Rock River Union Pacific Snowshed Plant, .6 Mile North of Rock River, Rock River, Albany County, WY

Significance: The site was the location of the Union Pacific Transcontinental Railroad snowshed construction plant. The plant was built after the unusually severe blizzards during the winter of 1916-17 that nearly paralyzed rail operations between Cheyenne and Rawlins for a two week period. The railroad's solution was to erect several snowsheds over the yards at Rock River and three additional sites between Rock River and Medicine Bow. The initial temporary timber and iron structures were replaced with permanent precasted concrete showsheds of innovative design. These were manufactured in the open-air construction plant near Rock River. The prefabrication technique used had only recently been adopted in the United States. The showshed plant was a major industrial undertaking which had substantial impact on the towns of Laramie and Red River. Once construction of the four showsheds were completed, Union Pacific dismantled the construction plant and abandoned the site.
Survey number: HAER WY-6
Building/structure dates: 1917 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1919
Building/structure dates: 1947 Demolished