Burnt Ranch was located where the Emigrant Trails crossed the Sweetwater River for the last time and ascended toward the South Pass.

Mark Twain later wrote about the experience in Roughing It, first published in 1872: "... we hove in sight of South Pass City.

The hotelkeeper, the postmaster, the blacksmith, the mayor, the constable, the city marshal and the principal citizen and property holder, all came out and greeted us cheerily, and we gave him good day.

South Pass City consisted of four log cabins, one of which was unfinished, and the gentleman with all those offices and titles was the chiefest of the ten citizens of the place.

Think of hotelkeeper, postmaster, blacksmith, mayor, constable, city marshal and principal citizen all condensed into one person and crammed into one skin.

[5][6] Within a decade, the city's population shrank dramatically, as the large gold deposits that had been hoped for failed to materialize.

[3][page needed] By the end of the 20th century, steps were being taken to renew the community, and to develop it as an historic site for destination tourism.

Additional support from the Wyoming State Legislature and organizations like the Friends of South Pass City have raised funds for restoration and exhibition of the mine.

In The Outlaw Trail: A Journey Through Time, Robert Redford devoted a chapter to South Pass City.