September 21, 2014

Today we took a ride up to Laramie where the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Park is located.  One of it's claim to fame is that it once incarcerated Butch Cassidy for robbery.  He was released after 18 months.  After release he still went on what was called the Outlaw Trail to rob banks.  He used the money to help poor people and was actually considered a popular outlaw.  People gave him supplies to continue his robberies.

The prison was first put into use in 1872.  It is located on 197 acres.

 

Just inside the front door is the inmate reception room.

 Along the walls are pictures of inmates who were more well known.  Robert Leroy Parker aka Butch Cassidy

Grammie...really

No, this isn't the Electric Chair but after you realize what it is, it might as well be the Electric Chair.

It's the Dentist Chair.  The rack on the table on the right contains the drill bits and the object to the right of the window is the drill.

In an attempt to save the government money, the prisoners were put to work making brooms and candles... as well as running a farm. The picture below shows broom corn, used for making brooms.  The process of preparing corn for use was in itself rather time consuming.

Bundles of broom corn straw ready for use.

NO, Grammie isn't here anymore.  You'll notice the teachers desk and chair in front of the right window is empty. Grammie didn't use the desk and chair very much when teaching.

Wyoming Territorial Prison was both a Federal and later a State Prison.  The last of the prisoners were transferred to a new State Prison in Rawlins in 1903, and is still in operation today.

On I-80 heading back to Cheyenne, is a giant sculpture of Lincoln's head. It was built by Wyoming's Parks Commission to honor Lincoln's 150th birthday. It was sculpted by Robert Russin. The head originally stood alongside the highest point of the old coast-to-coast Lincoln Highway, at Sherman Summit, 8,878 feet above sea level. When I-80 was completed in 1969, the head was moved here.

On the return trip Tom took a picture of the clouds that looked kind of ominous...but nothing came down from them where we were.