The Town of Rockvale was homesteaded by Col. William Horace May in 1863. He arrived in Fremont County from Vermont and first farmed in the Beaver Creek area. After getting flooded out twice, he moved to higher ground and settled in what is now Rockvale. Colonel May built a cabin by the banks of Oak Creek where he used his land for grazing. He dug a ditch southwest of town from the Oak Creek to water his crops, not realizing there were millions of tons of coal underneath. Coal outcroppings were found and mined on a small scale until 1880 when the property was leased to the Ca√±on City Coal Company. The company platted the Town of Rockvale in 1880 and on July 10, 1882 May and W.D. Thatcher filed for incorporation, which took place on September 11, 1886. May had built a cabin from cottonwood logs for his homestead, which has been moved to the town‚ Äôs Park. He also constructed the Post Office, which remains in use today, and became the Postmaster.
Credit to the Fremont County Heritage Guide for providing the information.