Collections

Collections

The Rockpile Museum maintains collections of history, art, material culture, archaeology, and natural history. The geographic focus of the collection is the region which is now Campbell County, Wyoming. Due to the recent creation of Campbell County (1911), objects may fall outside of the current boundaries if they are deemed historically significant to this community, county, or region as a whole. The collection consists of any material relevant to the prehistoric, historic, and contemporary cultural history of the area.

Collection Roots

The museum’s historical collections center on the area’s rural and agricultural roots. Much of the collection is used to illustrate the life of a homesteader or rancher in early twentieth century Wyoming. These objects include everything from kerosene stoves to rifles to sheep wagons. The museum also has a fine collection of objects related to the early history of urban life in Gillette including early office equipment, mercantile items, and objects from Gillette's earliest hotels.

Energy Production

A growing segment of the Rockpile Museum collection is devoted to the energy production so vital to this area's economy. Objects related to the coal, gas, and oil industries can all be found in the museum. Some of the highlights of the collection can be found by using the link entitled Collections Highlights.

Natural History

The Rockpile Museum also has a fine archaeological collection as well as some anthropological artifacts and natural history specimens. The museum displays hundreds of Native American spear points and arrowheads collected for many years by two of the museum's greatest supporters, Ralph Kintz and Lew Barlow.

Archival History

We also have a growing archival collection that includes photographs, newspapers, legal documents, and miscellaneous documents. To see more about our photographs, view the photograph section online. Please ask our staff for more information about accessing the museum’s archival collections.