Some towns take generations to grow, but South Pass City, Wyoming, expanded rapidly after gold was discovered nearby in 1866. The settlement had begun in the 1850s as a stage and telegraph stop along the Oregon Trail. The discovery changed its fortunes, drawing prospectors and businesses to the Willow Creek diggings. By 1867, the settlement had been formally laid out, and its population eventually reached about 2,000 during the mining boom.
Tents and wooden buildings appeared as the settlement expanded. Saloons, general stores, a bank and a schoolhouse served the growing population, while miners worked claims around the Sweetwater mining district. The rapid expansion reflected the optimism surrounding the gold discoveries, but the boom would prove short-lived.
