Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site

The Wyoming Territorial Prison operated from 1872 to 1903, and the restored complex gives a convincing account of what incarceration looked like in the frontier West. The cell blocks, warden's house, and various outbuildings are preserved or reconstructed, and the interpretive exhibits mix the obligatory Butch Cassidy story with broader coverage of the territorial justice system and the prison's role in the region.

The site also includes a broom factory where prisoners worked, and a working farm. The museum inside covers Wyoming's territorial period (1869–1890) in useful context. Allow a couple of hours; the site is well out on the west side of town and requires a short drive from downtown. Open May through October.

things to do sight history
A story
Butch Cassidy, born Robert LeRoy Parker, was imprisoned here from 1894 to 1896 for horse theft. He was released early for good behaviour and subsequently led the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang across Wyoming and the wider West — so in a sense, the prison's lenient management policy had significant downstream consequences for the region's outlaw history.

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