The Wyoming Frontier Prison

Written By: Sarah Reish

We finally made it to the frontier prison! We choose this adventure because we love history, we love Wyoming, because its October and the Wyoming Frontier Prison hosts some amazing events for Halloween. We have been wanting to visit the prison for quite some time. My husband was born and raised here in Wyoming and I was not. I only found out about this prison when it was featured on the Travel Channel. We arrived early morning and just made their hour long tour of the entire facility. 

A Bit of History

The prison is massive and features huge stone block walls. They began building the prison in 1888; however, due to funding issues the prison was not opened until 1901. Initially there were only 104 cells in the original cell block (A), but when the prison closed there were additions adding cell block B and before cell block C for maximum security and the death house which had 6 cells. Throughout the years it was open, more than 13,500 prisoners were incarcerated at the Wyoming Frontier Prison. Among those incarcerated were 11 women. By 1909 the last of the women were sent to Colorado making this a male only prison.

Prison Life

On the tour we began at the beginning where a prisoner would have. Our first stop was intake and walking the steps a prisoner would have upon arriving at the prison. As we made our way deeper into the prison we passed the visitor cell where you could speak with visitors and around the corner we entered Cell Block A. By the way, the prison is freezing, which adds to the eerie feeling. The paint is hanging off of the walls and ceilings in giant pieces and as we entered Cell Block A we were met with a towering 4 story cell block. What really blew me away was the massive size of the structure in comparison to the tiny cells. The cells were minuscule and barely had room for the tiny cot and toilet in each. The prisoner barely had room to move around. One of the ongoing issues was the access to lightbulbs. Some of the more unsavory prisoners in one dark corner would remove lightbulbs, which allowed them the ability to easily run their prison gangs, sell black market goods and even harm and kill both prisoners and guards. Even while open, the radiators gave off little warmth and with such a massive space , winters were extremely cold. Cell Block B was built in 1950 and helped ease the over crowding and many of the issues were addressed, including the heat and lighting problems they faced in Cell Block A.

The Shared Spaces

Just passed Cell Block A are the showers. If a prisoner refused to shower they did not get clean clothes. The heating issues carried over with little to no hot water so winters were both cold and smelly. Our next area in the tour was the kitchen and cafeteria. The kitchen work was the most desired position as it was actually warm. All of the tables faced one wall, are metal and bolted to the floor. In the early years the were wood; however due to a riot and using the benches as weapons they were changed out and the prisoners were no longer allowed to interact. Outside in the prison yard we were shown the ruins of what once was the factory. After legislation passed a law that no longer allowed prisons to profit off of the work of the prisoners, the factory went on to make license plates. At one point they made blankets. 

The Dark Side of Prison

Cell Block B was nicer, however there were still issues with prison gangs and the more unsavory and misbehaved prisoners. To deal with this issue there were three areas for discipline. The dungeon, solitary confinement and the punishment pole. This area is exactly what you imagine it to be. The cells were as small as 4’x4’ and didn’t allow prisoners to even lay down, they had to stand. No bathroom was provided, it was absolutely filthy and horrendous conditions. The punishment pole was set up in this area and prisoners would be handcuffed and whipped with rubber hoses. This was in use until it became “cruel and unusual punishment”. The prison was equipped with execution means, gallows were used and in 1916 the death house was built and included six cells and the gas chamber. Death Row inmates shared a space with the very thing that would one day bring their life to an end. 

The Out Building and Outdoor Spaces

The Prison has an infirmary where prisoners would receive medical attention. But there was a separate locked yard for outdoor recreation that included a baseball field. The townspeople had access to observe their games on the wall and our tour guide shared that his own mother attended the games in her youth. 

Thoughts

It is said the prison is haunted and while we were only able to tour during the day, we can say there is an eerie feeling throughout the facility. The buildings and cells were lived in, you could see evidence of the lives of those imprisoned within the walls, whether it is in the art, the prisoner profiles hanging on the walls or any of the other remnants… This place holds the unchanging past of the wild west and the modernization of what was once a violent and harsh world of prisons. 

The Details:

Hours: Monday-Sunday 9 am - 5 pm

Tours are every hour on the half hour e.g. 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 et cetera 

Halloween Haunted Tours: October 29 - October 31 7 pm - 11:30 pm

Hit the road!

I highly recommend visiting and touring this prison. It was incredible to step back in time and see what life was like for those who chose a life of crime in the wild west. Be sure to share your experience with us on social media. Tag us @LiveWYldMag and use #LiveWYld