The Reliance Tipple - Reliance WY
N 41° 40.085 W 109° 11.809
12T E 650111 N 4614495
This informational sign tells the history of the operation of this coal tipple. It resides on the west side of the coal tipple, within the fenced-in area.
Waymark Code: WMKMEZ
Location: Wyoming, United States
Date Posted: 05/02/2014
Views: 2
THE RELIANCE TIPPLE
It was in 1910 that coal mine operations began at Reliance.
These mines were operated by the coal mining company of the
Union Pacific Railroad. Here, where the tipple now stands, the
first coal loading facility was constructed in 1912. The stone
foundations for the earlier wooden tipple are still evident east
of the metal tipple. The tipple you see today was completed in
1936 and still contains machinery from when it was in operation.
Few tipples remain from the era when coal was king. Modern
mining methods and a shift to gasoline and diesel powered
locomotives made underground coal mining too expensive to
compete in the energy market while using the technology of
the early twentieth century. Tipples such as this were torn
down and the equipment sold as salvage. In Wyoming, only the
Reliance tipple remains as an example of a large industrial coal
handling facility. It is a silent marker of a by-gone day and
serves as a tribute to the miners and their families who worked
to establish homes in southwest Wyoming and to the men who
lost their lives in the coal mines of Sweetwater County.
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Many groups and individuals contributed to this effort including:
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
Union Pacific Railroad
Archeological Services of Western Wyoming College
Johnson-Fermelia Co., Inc.
Sweetwater County Commissioners
Sweetwater County Museum Board
Frances and Harry Weiss of Rock Springs Hide and Fur
Cyril Rahonde and Company
Marker Name: The Reliance Tipple
Marker Type: Rural Roadside
Group Responsible for Placement: Wyoming Centennial Commission
Addtional Information: Not listed
Date Dedicated: Not listed
Marker Number: Not listed
Web link(s) for additional information: Not listed
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