Trip ideas while visiting Laramie in Wyoming
The Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site, located in Laramie, Wyoming, is one of the oldest surviving prison structures in the American West. Built in 1872, this imposing stone fortress served as a federal penitentiary for the Wyoming Territory before statehood, holding some of the most notorious outlaws of the frontier era. Today, the site operates as a living history museum, offering visitors a chance to explore the cells, guard quarters, and workshops where inmates lived and labored more than a century ago. The prison was constructed using locally quarried sandstone and sits on a sweeping landscape just west of downtown Laramie, with its distinctive Romanesque Revival architecture making it an enduring landmark on the Wyoming frontier.
The Wyoming Territorial Prison was authorized by Congress in 1870 to address the growing need for a secure correctional facility in the Wyoming Territory. Construction began in 1872 under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Justice, and the first prisoners were admitted by January 1873. The prison was designed to hold up to 150 inmates and housed both men and women convicted of federal crimes in the Wyoming Territory. Perhaps the prison’s most famous inmate was Butch Cassidy, the legendary outlaw incarcerated here from 1894 to 1896 for horse theft, who reportedly worked as a model prisoner in the broom factory before earning early release and forming the Wild Bunch gang.
Visitors can take a self-guided tour through the restored cellblocks, examining the cramped quarters where inmates spent their sentences behind original iron cell doors manufactured by the Pauly Jail Building Company of St. Louis. The tour includes access to prisoner cells featuring barred windows and period furnishings that recreate the living conditions of the late 1800s, along with the chilling solitary confinement cells on the lower level known as the dungeon. Guided tours led by knowledgeable docents in period attire share stories of notable inmates, dramatic escape attempts, and the harsh realities of frontier incarceration, while the restored Broom Factory demonstrates the machinery that Butch Cassidy himself operated during his confinement.
The main prison building spans five levels of cells spread across east and west wings, with many of the heavy iron locking mechanisms still intact and visible today. The warden’s house, a separate two-story building built in 1875, has been restored to its original Victorian-era appearance with period furniture, household items, and photographs illustrating the domestic life of a frontier prison administrator. The broom factory building stands as a testament to the prison’s industrial operations, where inmates produced thousands of brooms annually for government offices and local businesses, and most of the original broom-making equipment remains remarkably preserved.
The prison grounds span several acres of open prairie landscape with walking paths connecting the main buildings and offering sweeping views of the Snowy Range Mountains to the west. A short nature trail loops through the property, passing the remains of the prison’s original stone quarry where inmates extracted the sandstone used to construct the facility itself. During warmer months, picnic areas with shaded spots beneath cottonwood trees provide space for families to relax between tours, while the Laramie River Greenbelt Trail runs nearby, connecting the site to downtown Laramie via a scenic walking and biking path.
The Wyoming Territorial Prison is open year-round, with summer from June through August bringing the warmest temperatures ideal for exploring the outdoor grounds and enjoying the full schedule of living history demonstrations and special events, including the popular annual Butch Cassidy Day celebration in August. Fall from September through October offers crisp air, stunning golden aspens across the Laramie Plains, and thinner crowds after Labor Day for a more relaxed touring experience. Winter from November through March features atmospheric holiday events including candlelight tours through the cellblocks, while spring from April through May brings returning wildflowers to the grounds, softer light for photography, and a lively atmosphere from the adjacent University of Wyoming campus.