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The site, at 300 North 1st East, Green River, Wyoming, had
previously been the city cemetery, which had been established
in 1892. In 1926, a federal CWA project moved the bodies and
old grave markers to the Riverview Cemetery just up the hill.
In 1930 the town used the site as a park.
During 1944 a Veteran's Housing Site was built on the site,
due to the return of the veterans. During the construction,
several remains were found and re-interned at the now current
Riverview Cemetery. The identity of the remains was unknown.
In 1978, during the construction of the new facility, twelve
unknown graves were found. Again in 1983 during landscaping
of the grounds revealed more graves and remains. This renewed
the fear of a historic epidemic of smallpox and the re-introduction
of the disease.
Since 1985 unexplained occurrences have been reported at the
library. The Green River Library is listed on the famous list
of the ghost and haunted places in Wyoming.
In 1989 “Ghosts on the Range: Eerie True Tales of Wyoming”
by Debra D. Munn was published. Included in her book was the
story of the Sweetwater County Library, titled “The
Library Built over a Cemetery”. Ms. Munn was good enough
to come to the library the following Halloween and do a reading
from her book. Story has it that several loud noises were
heard from the stage area and eager listeners reportedly wondered
out-loud if the “ghosts” were upset about the
reading.
In 1993 a "Ghost Log" was started to record the
unusual happenings. As something unexplained happened it was
written in the log. The log is available at the Circulation
desk, but is not available for check out.
Charlie Love examines a skull
found in front of the Sweetwater County Library.
During pipeline construction
in August of 1996 remains were unearthed just outside the
library by the lower parking lot. Sweetwater County Coroner
Dale S. Majhanovich said wood chips were found Tuesday by
construction workers digging under North First East. Charlie
Love, of the Western Wyoming Community College Archaeological
Services Department, examined the find and determined that
the bones were of two people. Two wooden coffins and their
contents were within a couple feet of the pipeline that was
being worked on and one coffin had actually been nicked when
the line first went in. At least one of the wooden coffins
was covered in felt with a small window. A brass plaque indicated
the coffin was purchased a Beeman and Cashin Mercantile Co.
of Evanston. No date was inscribed. It was determined one
was a male about 45 years old and the other a female of about
the same age. Both were in good health, at least one was Caucasian
and both were about the same height The bodies were re-interred
at the Riverview Cemetery.
This log is still currently being used.
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