Qualla: Rock Springs Massacre https://qualla.com/rock-springs-massacre en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:04 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/9/x/6/k/rock-springs-massacre-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Rock Springs Massacre https://qualla.com/rock-springs-massacre Rock Springs Massacre: Introduction https://qualla.com/rock-springs-massacre/ Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. The New York Times called for Rock Springs, Wyoming to meet the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. On September 2, 1885, what began as a dispute over who could work a desirable section of coal mine ended with at least 28 Chinese miners dead, 15 wounded, and 78 homes reduced to ash. The massacre was not spontaneous violence but the culmination of years of racial tension, labor disputes, and the Union Pacific Railroad's deliberate strategy of using Chinese workers to undercut white miners' wages. What happened that day in the high desert of Wyoming Territory would spark anti-Chinese violence across the American West and force the United States government to pay reparations to China.

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]]> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/x/6/k/rock-springs-massacre-wp/9x6k-rock-springs-massacre-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Rock Springs Massacre: The Powder Keg https://qualla.com/rock-springs-massacre/ Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. Rock Springs sat atop rich coal deposits, and the Union Pacific Railroad needed that coal to power its locomotives. The company employed 331 Chinese and 150 white miners, paying by the ton rather than by the hour. Chinese workers, often fleeing poverty and war at home, accepted l...

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]]> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/x/6/k/rock-springs-massacre-wp/9x6k-rock-springs-massacre-the-powder-keg.mp3 0:06 2 full Rock Springs Massacre: September 2, 1885 https://qualla.com/rock-springs-massacre/ Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. The morning started with a fight over coal. Chinese and white miners disputed who had the right to work a particularly desirable area of Mine No. 6. White miners beat two Chinese workers and walked off the job. By early afternoon, between 100 and 150 armed men, mostly miners and ...

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]]> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/x/6/k/rock-springs-massacre-wp/9x6k-rock-springs-massacre-september-2-1885.mp3 0:06 3 full Rock Springs Massacre: The Bodies and the Bill https://qualla.com/rock-springs-massacre/ Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. At least 28 Chinese miners died, though the true number may never be known. Many bodies burned beyond recognition, and others perished from wounds, thirst, and exposure in the hills that night. The property damage reached approximately $150,000, equivalent to nearly $5 million to...

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]]> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/x/6/k/rock-springs-massacre-wp/9x6k-rock-springs-massacre-the-bodies-and-the-bill.mp3 0:06 4 full Rock Springs Massacre: An International Reckoning https://qualla.com/rock-springs-massacre/ Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. Chinese diplomats in New York and San Francisco compiled damage claims and demanded action. President Grover Cleveland addressed the massacre in his December 1885 State of the Union, declaring that race prejudice was the chief factor in the disturbances and calling for the full p...

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]]> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/x/6/k/rock-springs-massacre-wp/9x6k-rock-springs-massacre-an-international-reckoning.mp3 0:06 5 full Rock Springs Massacre: The Shadow Spreads https://qualla.com/rock-springs-massacre/ Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. Rock Springs ignited a wave of anti-Chinese violence across the American West. Near Newcastle, Washington, a mob burned the barracks of 36 Chinese coal miners. In Tacoma, the entire Chinese community was expelled in early November, some marched out by force, their settlements tor...

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]]> Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/x/6/k/rock-springs-massacre-wp/9x6k-rock-springs-massacre-the-shadow-spreads.mp3 0:06 6 full