History & News

A Rock Springs judge and his guns

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Photo #1 - Colt Model 1878 double-action revolver, a six-shot .45, engraved and fitted with a lanyard loop

Photo #2 - Nickel-finished Iver Johnson Second Model Safety Hammerless pocket revolver in superlative condition, once the property of Rock Springs pioneer David G. Thomas

Photo #3 - An old west classic - a two-barreled Remington Model 95 derringer

Photo #4 - Judge David G. Thomas

(Sweetwater County, Wyo. - March 28, 2022)     Three classic antique handguns that belonged to a prominent Rock Springs pioneer were recently examined through the Sweetwater County Historical Museum’s Vintage Firearms Research Program.

David Griffiths Thomas was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1857 and came to Rock Springs as a young man in 1878, when he went to work for the Union Pacific Coal Company while he studied law on his own. After becoming an attorney, he went on to a long and distinguished career, serving as Prosecuting of Attorney of Uinta County, followed by service as County and Prosecuting Attorney of Sweetwater County, six years as State Coal Mine Inspector, a member of the last Wyoming territorial legislature, Superintendent of the U.P. Coal’s mines in the Rock Springs District, Mayor of Rock Springs, and Justice of the Peace. Judge Thomas died in his Rock Springs home in 1935, age 77.

Museum staff identified the largest of Judge Thomas’s three handguns as a fully-engraved .45-caliber, double-action Colt Model 1878 revolver, manufactured late in 1884. Colt’s single-action Model 1873 Single Action Army, the standard American army issue at the time, had been a major success and the Model 1878 was one of Colt’s early attempts to break into the double-action market. (A single-action revolver must be manually cocked for each shot; double-actions are fired with a long trigger pull.)  Colt produced just over 51,000 of the big pistols; production ceased in 1905.

Next was a five-shot Iver Johnson Second Model Safety Hammerless, a double-action revolver with a bright nickeled finish in .38 Smith & Wesson. The Safety Hammerless was a highly popular, inexpensive pocket revolver that fired only in the double-action mode. Judge Thomas’s Iver Johnson was manufactured around the turn of the 20th century. Modern shooters will take note of the revolver’s “trigger safety,” a feature today of many striker-fired semi-automatic pistols such as the Glock.

The third of Judge Thomas’s pistols was one of the most iconic and instantly-recognized of American frontier-era handguns, a two-barreled Remington Mode 95 derringer, manufactured from 1866 to 1935. Museum staff identified the Thomas derringer as a Type II, also called a “Model 3,” made between 1888 and 1911. The Model 95 was a two-shot chambered for the .41 rimfire cartridge. A single-action break-open with a rotating firing pin, it was easily concealed in a vest or pants pocket.  A short video illustrating how the Model 95 functioned can be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-owZZ3quUs&t=4s

Those with a vintage firearm (or firearms) who would like to learn more about are encouraged to contact the museum at (307) 872-6435 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . 

There is no charge for the Museum’s Vintage Firearms Research Program.

THE STORY OF A ROCK SPRINGS LYNCHING

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March 23, 2022

A dark chapter in Rock Springs history is the subject of a new online article at WyoHistory.org.

History Fair Volunteers Needed

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We will have our annual 3rd Grade History Fair May 10-13, 2022. This annual event has been a popular experience for 3rd graders of our community before the pandemic. We have finally been able to bring it back for 2022! This hands on history experience has brought 3rd graders from around Sweetwater County for a day of fun and learning.

To make this exciting event happen takes a lot of help from our fantastic community. We need people to help host booths throughout that week, the more time you can offer the better but we are grateful for any time you can spare. Volunteers typically offer a morning, afternoon, or full day shfit. Each volunteer gives hands on presentations of about 20 minutes per class, we will train you and no prior experience is required. 

If you would like to help make this popular event a success please email us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 307-872-6435. 

New book about infamous Wyoming outlaw now available

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Photo #1 - “Big Nose” George Parott

Photo #2 - Remington New Model Army percussion revolver once owned by “Big Nose” George Parott, currently on display at the Sweetwater County Historical Museum in Green River

Photo #3 - Dr. John Osborne’s shoes, made from the tanned skin of outlaw George Parott

Photo #4 - The Carbon County Museum’s George Parott exhibit

Photo #5 - Dr. John Osborne

Photo #6 - Big Nose George and the Road Agents by Charles Russell, 1895

Photo #7 - Now available at the Sweetwater County Historical Museum book store in Green River

(Sweetwater County, Wyo. - March 10, 2022)     A new book about one of the strangest cases in Wyoming frontier history has just been released, the Sweetwater County Historical Museum said in a special release on Thursday.

In 1878, two Wyoming lawmen, Carbon County Deputy Sheriff Robert Widdowfield and Union Pacific Special Agent Henry “Tip” Vincent, were murdered near Elk Mountain by “Big Nose” George Parott and his gang after a botched train robbery. Captured in Montana in 1880, Parott stood trial in Rawlins, was convicted of the killings, and sentenced to death. When he attempted to escape the county jail, an enraged mob lynched him.

What followed next was a bizarre chain of events unique in Old West history - two local doctors took charge of Parott’s body, removed his brain for study, and presented his skullcap to their young female assistant, Lillian Heath, who went on to become the first licensed woman doctor in Wyoming. One of the physicians, Dr. John Osborne, skinned large portions of the body, had the skin tanned, and incorporated it into a pair of shoes. Years later, he wore the shoes to his inaugural ball when he was elected Governor of Wyoming.

High Plains Press of Glendo recently published a new book about Parott:  Big Nose George - His Troublesome Trail, by Mark E. Miller, who served for 30 years as Wyoming State Archaeologist. Extensively researched and compellingly written, Big Nose George is easily the most authoritative work on the case yet produced, said Dick Blust of the museum’s staff. It’s now available at the Museum’s book store in Green River.

Parott’s handgun, a .44-caliber Remington New Model Army, is part of the Sweetwater County Historical Museum’s “Firearms of the American West - Single Action Revolvers” exhibit, and bears two notches cut into its grip.

The Carbon County Museum in Rawlins has a fine George Parott exhibit, which includes his death mask, a cast of his skull, and Dr. Osborne’s shoes made from his tanned skin.

The Sweetwater County Historical Museum is located at 3 E. Flaming Gorge Way in Green River. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and admission is free.