Past Exhibits
Dear Folks: Letters Home from WWII
February 26, 2019 to September 21, 2019
Dear Folks: Letters Home from WWII featured letters sent home by Campbell County soldiers during World War II. Not only did guests have the chance to read a variety of letters from Campbell County soldiers, they also had the unique opportunity to listen to a selection of letters being read by the descendants of these men. The men talked about life in the South Pacific, Europe, Asia, and much more.
The Rockpile Museum held an exclusive Exhibit Opening on February 26, 2019. The evening began with a short documentary, Dear Folks: The Making of an Exhibit, followed by a round-table discussion with the volunteers and family members who came together to create this powerful exhibit.
Campbell County in the Great War
November 16, 2018 to January 19, 2019
In 1917, when the United States entered World War I, Wyoming sent 7 percent of its population, 11,393 soldiers, off to war. Facing new advances in weaponry, including the use of chemical warfare, soldiers experienced what was then called the “war to end all wars.” The soldiers of Campbell County bravely enlisted, some as young as 16 years old.
These courageous soldiers not only faced war in the trenches but also fought against an influenza pandemic that killed more American military personnel than did enemy machine guns and artillery. On display at the Rockpile Museum until January 19, 2019, Campbell County in the Great War highlights several of the local young men that fought valiantly, providing brief insight into what they witnessed “over there.”
May 1 - October 6, 2018
May-July 2018
September-December 2017
April and May 2017:
December 7, 2016 - March 31, 2017:
Infamy: December 7, 1941
Infamy: December 7, 1941, a traveling exhibit from the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, features over 30 powerful images and commemorates the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Visit the museum in March to learn about this tragic and historic day in our nation's history. The images are supplemented with a few local artifacts as well as a stirring video history from Wyoming resident and Pearl Harbor survivor, Melvin Heckman.
Camel Tradition
February - June 2015
Is Gillette a “sports-crazy” town as is often the perception around Wyoming? Do you know the history of athletics in our school system? Now is your chance to find out a little about sports in Campbell County as the museum is excited to announce an upcoming exhibition titled Camel Tradition. Utilizing the museum archives and collections, this exhibit will describe sports in this area from the early twentieth century to the championship boom of the last few decades.
Highlights include photos of early Camel teams, pictures and memorabilia from the 1958 and 1966 boys’ basketball championship teams, and old CCHS jerseys and equipment. Several former Camel athletes and coaches will be highlighted including John Mankin, Gwen Reed, Mike Curry, Ryun Williams, Alicia Craig Shay, John Chick, and Tyler Cox.
Camel Tradition will be on display until the end of May. Join in the “March Madness” and celebrate sports in Campbell County with the Rockpile Museum!
"Swing Back to the 70s" at the Rockpile Museum
April and May 2014
This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Rockpile Museum’s opening and we are celebrating with a series of events. During the months of April and May, the Rockpile Museum hosted a community-based exhibit showcasing local citizens’ memorabilia from the 1970s. This was a decade of change and contrasts. The exhibit will featured items specific to Gillette and Campbell County people, businesses, organizations, schools, and events as well as general items symbolic of this colorful decade.
Women Coal Miners of the Powder River Basin
July - December 2013
On July 9th, 2013, the Campbell County Rockpile Museum opened an exhibition titled Women Coal Miners of the Powder River Basin. Featuring the photographs of Colorado artist Annalise Shingler, this exhibit told the story of a handful of women miners from Gillette and Campbell County that have made a life of digging coal. Here in the Powder River Basin, women have been employed at the coal mines since the mid-1970s. The percentage of female miners was initially very low, but increased as more and more large mines opened in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Most figures today state that women make up about 20 percent of all production crews in the coal mines of northeast Wyoming.
Some of the women in the exhibit are trailblazers that have worked for 30 or more years in mining while others are just beginning their careers. Others are from families with multiple generations working in the coal mines. With this exhibit, the Rockpile Museum hoped to shed some light on the hard work and sacrifice that these miners make to support their families and provide energy for our state and our nation.
This exhibit was generously supported by Pearls of the Prairie.