Do Time With Us
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Wyoming Territorial Prison opened as a U.S. Penitentiary in 1872 and later became Wyoming’s first State Penitentiary. For 30 years it held violent and desperate outlaws. Now a museum, visitors walk through the building to discover the stories held behind the prison walls. At the “Big House across the River” displays of cells and artifacts reveal the Prison’s past. Your visit includes the prison building, the Prison Industries Building, and the Warden’s House. Located next to the prison building, the Prison Industries Building (broom factory) was built to raise revenue, manage the prison population, and maintain a workshop year-round.
After closing as a prison in 1903, the site took on a new life as an agricultural experiment station for the University of Wyoming until 1989. Visitors can explore the site’s grounds to see historic buildings dating to the early 20th century, and view the Science on the Range exhibit in the historic Horse Barn building.
In the 1990s, a group of dedicated community members worked to raise funds to restore the Prison. The entire site took on a new life as a Western Heritage Theme Park. It 2004 the site became a State Historic Site.
Located on 197 acres, the site offers restored historic buildings, exhibits, a picnic area during the summer, a nature trail along the Big Laramie River, a visitor center with gift shop, and a RV Dump Station.
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