Evanston has a coal mining history similar to Rock Springs’ with a couple of important differences.  Although there were problems between its white and Chinese miners, they never resulted in the kind of violence that took over Rock Springs.  Here, the Chinese opened businesses and built a Joss House temple -- one of only three in the U.S. at the time.

The mines, however, were highly dangerous.  Methane gas explosions in 1881, 1886, and 1895 killed at least 60 whites and unknown numbers of Chinese.  When the mines were closed -- many with underground fires still burning -- the miners moved on to other coal towns such as Kemmerer and Diamondville, where a mine explosion in 1923 killed 100 men.

Evanston's Joss House has been reconstructed and furnished with items from Chinatown, and additional items and information can be found in the local museum.