Green River Hotels
Find a hotel in Green River, Wyoming. Established by the river of the same name, the Green River encampment area was known to the Crow Indians as "Seed-ska-dee," their name for the sage hens, or "prairie chickens," which gathered here. When trappers arrived, they called it the Spanish River, and then Rio Verde, Spanish for Green River. The river's bright color is a result of the soapstone cliffs dissolving their mineral content into the stream. The water source, abundance of game, and shelter of nearby rock formations made it a natural gathering place. Castle Rock, an impressive sandstone cliff, overlooks the area.
Green River is largely supported by its extensive trona mining industry. Trona is an important mineral used in making glass, detergents, paper, metal refining, and baking soda. One third of the worldwide supply of trona is derived from the 1000 square mile bed deposited north of Green River by an ancient lake.
Green River is also noted for being the first town in the nation to ban door-to-door salesmen. They became a nuisance to the mine and railroad shift workers who often had to sleep during the day. The law became known as the Green River Ordinance, and was adopted by several other communities nationwide. The Fuller Brush Company fought it all the way to the US Supreme Court, and lost.
