Go West Young Mensch! The Rise and Decline of the Jewish Community of Carbon County, Wyoming (U.S.A.)

Carbon County is a remote, sparsely-populated region of high desert located in south-central Wyoming, U.S.A. Bifurcated by the Union Pacific railway, the county’s economy has long relied upon attracting a labor force from near and far in order to prosper. For a brief period from about 1880-1980, a small yet significant part of that population was comprised of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe.This study discusses the unique history of the Jewish migration to the Wyoming Territory that occurred just prior to and following statehood (1890). Using primary documentation including census logs, military records, and genealogical data, several case studies are presented of individual Jewish immigrants as well as entire families that left their homes in Europe only to eventually make their homes in Rawlins and neighboring communities of Carbon County. It is seen that, by and large, the randomly-chosen life experiences discussed largely parallel those of the county at large, both shaping and being shaped by broader communal developments. The study concludes by addressing the question of why, after 100 years of successful participation in the life of the county’s economic growth, the Jews departed wholesale, leaving barely a trace behind.