During your visit to the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site, explore the old Wyoming state penitentiary buildings and discover what they were originally used for. Learn about plant and animal research at the turn of the 20th Century when the site transformed from a place for convicts to a place for cattle. In the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site Visitor Center you can shop for locally-made, Wyoming-made and prisoner-made products.
Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site Buildings
Prison Building
Learn about the Prison Buildings rich past as you wander the corridors notorious outlaws like Butch Cassidy, Dan Parker and Elijah Canary once did. The Prison Building was constructed in 1872 and used as a Territorial Prison until it was reorganized as the Wyoming State Penitentiary in 1890. During this period over 1,000 men and 12 women of various nationalities, religious backgrounds and occupations were held behind the great iron doors. When inmates were transferred to a new facility in Rawlins, Wyoming in 1903, the building was used as a stock farm for the University of Wyoming until 1989 when the building underwent a restoration and was reopened as a historic site in 1991 thanks to the efforts of Laramie citizens.
Warden’s House
See where the warden, his family and the guards of the Wyoming prison once lived. The Warden’s House was initially constructed as a duplex by prisoner labor in 1875 and housed the warden, his family and the guards of the prison. In 1889 an administrative section was added to the prison and served as the guards living quarters. The house was remodeled for the use of a single family. Restored in 2007 and interior staging completed in 2009, the Warden’s House now features furnishings that reflect the early 1890s period when Warden James Marsh and his eldest children lived in the home. To this day historians continue to conduct research on the wardens of the Wyoming Territorial Prison and their families who lived in the Warden’s House over the years.
Broom Factory
Assist in the making of a broom on replicas of the original broom making equipment. Wyoming Territorial Prison’s Broom Factory operated from 1892 until 1902 when it was moved to the new prison in Rawlins. During its days, the factory was operated by prisoners, producing an estimated 720 brooms per day which were shipped across the U.S. to Nebraska, California, Utah, Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota, Colorado and Idaho and internationally.
Horse Barn Exhibit Hall: “Science on the Range”
The University of Wyoming constructed the Horse Barn on the site of the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site in 1910 and used the building to house horses for the stock farm. Later additions to the structure included an exhibit hall featuring a permanent exhibit detailing the story of the University of Wyoming Experiment Station between 1903 and 1989. Today you can discover the importance of agricultural experiments in the context of the state in the Horse Barn Exhibit Hall.
Boxcar House
Step inside the Boxcar House featuring an introduction to Wool Science. The Boxcar House, purchased from the Union Pacific Railroad, was originally used by the prison as an out-building inside the stockade. After the Wyoming Territorial Prison moved to Rawlins and the property was acquired by the University of Wyoming, the boxcar was moved to its current location and converted into living quarters for the University of Wyoming employees, mainly the sheep herdsman. Upon the completion of the conversion the boxcar included a bedroom, living room, kitchen and porch.
Church
Saint Mary’s of the Plains Episcopal Church originally served as a school, community center and place of worship in Rock River, Wyoming. After sitting empty for over 20 years after the town declined in size in the 1980s, the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming donated the church to the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site. Following an extensive renovation, the church was reopened on the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site for visitors of all ages, faiths and backgrounds to appreciate.
Ranch Area
Imagine life in Territorial Wyoming from the viewpoint of the ranchers and farmers who settled in Wyoming in the 1880s and 1890s. The Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site’s Ranch Area features a cabin and schoolhouse from the Chimney Rock Ranch. These historic structures interpret the rich ranching history of Albany County and Wyoming.
In the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site Visitor Center, you will find locally-made, Wyoming-made and prisoner-made products including books, toys, t-shirts and Wyoming souvenirs. Three sizes of brooms made using traditional materials and methods in the historic Broom Factory are also for sale.
Travel Tips
- Self-guided tour brochures are available in the Visitor Center.
- The Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site is ADA complaint.