A history of Reliance,
then and now
Postcards, papers and photographs of Reliance from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story so far
from Wikipedia & the U.S. CensusReliance is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 714 at the 2010 census.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 714 to 622 (-13%). Half of its homes were built before 1979.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Reliance yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Reliance’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewStore in, 1914: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people close to Reliance
See all 13 →
Reliance, decade by decade
CommonsBedroom in home of Ben Baker, miner, living in company hous…1946
CommonsBox car made into home for miner. This is part of company h…1946
CommonsChanging shifts. Morning shift is being brought up on cars …1946
CommonsChild of miner swinging on box car home of company housing …1946
CommonsChildren of miner living in company housing project. Note t…1946
CommonsJ. M. Hawkins (left) former pharmacists mate in the U.S. Na…1946
CommonsJ. M. Hawkins, Former Pharmacist's Mate in the U.S. Navy an…1946
CommonsLiving room in home of Ben Baker, miner, living in company …1946
CommonsMiners Changing Clothes in Wash and Change House1946
CommonsMiners changing clothes in wash and change house. Union Pac…1946
CommonsMiners from the morning shift walk to the mine office from …19461990s
2 historic places in Reliance
2 places in Reliance are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Store in (1914) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (12). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.