A Mining Legacy
George H. Rogers
filed on a homestead in the vicinity of present-day Hudson, more
than 100 years ago, but George didn't live to see the
town that would spring up from his farm fields. George's wife, Emma
(Hudson) Rogers, "proved up" on the land in 1890, following
his death. On December 30, 1905, Emma and her brother, Daniel Hudson,
released their homestead rights. The mineral rights were purchased
by J. C. Hickey, a trustee for the Wyoming and Western Railroad.
In the same year, the attorney for J.C. Hickey filed on 67 mineral
and oil leases throughout the Hudson valley.
On March 8, 1909, Hudson was incorporated, a "company" town.
Wagon mines were in operation before the railroad was built, but
the birth of Hudson was primarily due to the building of the railroad
into the area in 1907 and 1908. During those years, the Poposia Mines,
number One and Two, were put into production. The railroad operated
for both mines, running three shifts a day until the 1920s. The high
demand for coal during World War I kept the mines in business and
running strong.
At the peak, the population of Hudson reached approximately 1,500.
Historians have said mining camp populations in the area approached
another 10,000 people. Irish, Scotch, Italian, Yugoslavs, French
and Welsh immigrants found work in the mines.
|
In the boom years, Hudson boasted many businesses including a bakery
which supplied bread to Riverton and Lander, a hotel, pharmacy, Chamber
of Commerce, two banks, a restaurant, two general stores, a lumber
yard, butcher shop, jewelry store, millinery shop, a motion picture
house which was called the "Opera House", a cement block
factory, brick yard and kiln, a doctor, its own newspaper, a 15-piece
band, railroad depot and stockyards. The stockyards at Hudson were
a major cattle shipping point for all of Fremont County. Hudson was
once said to have had more houses of ill-repute per capita than any
other town in the State of Wyoming. Some even remained until
the 1950s.
With the evolution of diesel engines and natural gas production,
a sharp drop in the demand for coal let to the decline in the production
at the mines and consequently a sharp decline in the population of
the town.
In 1941, the last mine closed down in Hudson. Many tried in vain
to keep the mines going as long as possible. The Poposia Mines were
the first to close down, while the smaller wagon mines slowly closed
one by one.
Atlantic City | Hudson
Jeffery City | Shoshoni | BLM
Museums
National Forests
Outdoor Recreation
Togwotee Trail
Wilderness Areas
|
