 The Rock Springs massacre , also known as the Rock Springs Riot , occurred on September 2 , 1885 , in the present @-@ day United States city of Rock Springs in Sweetwater County , Wyoming . The riot , between Chinese immigrant miners and white immigrant miners , was the result of racial tensions and an ongoing labor dispute over the Union Pacific Mine . The violence erupted when a group of white miners entered a Chinese restaurant and began shooting at the Chinese customers. Unterscheidung zwischen Migranten und Immigranten. The Rock Springs Massacre, also known as the Rock Springs Riot, occurred on September 2, 1885