2013-05-14

Yesterday, the 13th, we drove from Rock Springs, WY to Laramie, WY, where we spent the night in the Wal-Mart parking lot after doing the shop at Wal-Mart thing.

This morning, the 14th, we toured our third prison for the year.  Earlier, we had toured the Yuma Territorial Prison, and while in San Francisco, we toured Federal Prison on Alcatraz.  Today’s was another Federal Prison.  This one was the Wyoming Territorial Prison at Laramie.  It is one of only three federally constructed penitentiaries that still exist in the western US.  Territories were not states, so they prisons were federal, law enforcement was by US Marshalls, even the wardens worked for the US Justice Department. 

The prison was built in 1872.  In 1903, the abandoned prison, and its 640 acres was turned over to the University of Wyoming and operated as an agricultural experiment station until 1989.  Major restoration work has taken place since 1990 so that the property has been reincarnated as a prison and museum.

The first building entered upon leaving the visitor center, is the Warden’s residence.

 

Next are pictures of the prison building itself.  The building has survived intact since 1872, but the stockade is a complete reconstruction.  The third picture is US Marshall prisoner transport of the late 1800s.  Next we see the kitchen and a typical cell.  They did have a couple of female cells totally separate from the male cells.

 

The most famous prisoner here at the territorial prison was Butch Cassidy, and they had a picture of him on one of the walls.

 

Even though I took a picture of Marilyn behind bars, I did not leave her there.

 

After lunch, we moved the house to Cheyenne, WY, where we will stay for two nights at AB Camping, so we can tour the area.