Main Street, Wyoming; 618; Territorial Prison

Main Street Wyoming is made possible by Kennicott energy company proud to be a part of Wyoming's future in the coal and uranium industries which includes exploration mining and production. And the Wyoming Council for the Humanities enriching the lives of Wyoming people through the study of Wyoming history values and ideas. Imagine yourself six feet wide eight feet deep and eight feet high. If you'd stolen a horse in 1873 that would have been your home at the Wyoming territorial prison. Join us on Main Street Wyoming when we travel back in time to learn about the circumstances and people who did time for their crimes at the territorial prison. You. Welcome to Main Street Wyoming. I'm Deborah Hammond and we're here at the territorial park in

Laramie. For 30 years from 1873 to 19 0 3. This building served. As a prison for Wyoming. We're going to be showing you what it would have been like for the prisoners locked up behind bars here. We're going to introduce you to some really interesting Wyoming characters and you'll be learning more about that period of time in history when stealing a horse could be a more serious crime than killing a man. It is. I don't know. Kind of awesome to me to think that this place is so old yet it's so young when you when you compare it to so many other places in the world. The restoration of the territorial prison in Laramie was completed in 1991. I remember one of the first the first summer that we opened a man was on a guided to or any and he was coming around one of the corners and all of a sudden he looks up and his mouth drops and the tour guide wants to make sure he's OK and. He said. That's my father and his father was. We have pictures downstairs of prisoners of all different prisoners that were here on the walls and this

guy was probably in his I don't know 70s maybe. And that was his father. The truth is history is a territory and it isn't very long. And just a couple of generations ago Wyoming was quite a different place. Historian Mike Murphy described those early Wyoming. I think in its early days. Wyoming was pretty well wide open and so you had definite hell lawless elements here when the railroad first came through you had hella wheels turn around or in the track towns popping up all along the southern corridor and they were towns filled with with railroad workers but also with people who were one step beyond the law. And so there was a great deal of crime at that particular time. The railroad left by 1869 made people remained behind worked for the railroad or quite frankly were unemployed drifters or were people were coming to

communities and just beginning to to settle down. So 1873 it was still quite a volatile time and you had the full range of crimes at that particular time I think. All the way for murder and assault to robbery and cattle and certainly crime related to prostitution. There was crime related to ethnicity at that particular time too. So just about all of those folks could have wound up here in the territorial prison in the early. If that was a major crime ie. I asked my husband why. More of PRI researched and wrote The Atlas of Wyoming outlaws at the territorial penitentiary. It was their livelihood. To steal a guy's horse that was a major thing and to commit murder. I found the everybody packed or garden. So many times. Save yourself a fancy and get

away with it. But one of the first things that communities did was to crack down on the crime and that led to many interesting results that certainly led right here learned to the formation the first woman jury. It was both men and women sitting on the jury but was the first time that women anywhere in the country had ever served on a jury and it was because the judges here just simply could no longer trust the men. Two to pass that this isn't a crackdown on the criminals that they were bringing in front of them. It led to other interesting results too. So at that time indeed this stablish point of law and order was a critical first step to the formation of the communities Elnora's at less about loss of the territorial penitentiary shows the prisoners were as varied as their crimes. This is clamming Eugene's brother. At Evanston he was arrested and convicted for putting horses on a railroad track. So the trains would hit him and they could shoot the railroad in good hands. He and another fellow did that. So.

That wasn't very nice not very good. So what kind of punishment. I can't remember your number. Of course the severest punishment was to be sent to the territorial prison. It was not a good place to be at that time in fact to go through a territorial prison today. You see it probably at its absolute very best. Territorial prison was closed and the prisoners were kept at the facility and was put to use by the university for its experimental farm. The prison became a barn by the early 1970s because

of deterioration the building was again abandoned. We visited with Fred Henman chairman of the board of the territorial park about the decision to save the territorial prison. A group from the Chamber of Commerce got together and decided that this would be a great thing to restore. And so in about 1985 they began. To work on a plan to put this back to a restored prison as an economic development thing for Larry. And that. Became. A a much larger task than most people felt. The. Architects took a look at it and shook their head a lot. But the restoration looked to be about a 10 million dollar job that we could have torn the thing down and built one for probably a fraction

of that. But having a historically correct was more important than the dollars. Well would you say has been the most difficult part of this project. Well the most difficult part. Like with most historical sites it is fund raising. We're always in a crunch for funds. In addition to the prison building itself the park has an old frontier town. The national U.S. Marshal's Museum and the horse barn dinner theatre. Our journey today however is taking us inside the prison with a tour guide Jim Vander having. It. Damn can you count me with prison with the story behind it. Yes the prison was built in 1972 after the Union Pacific

Railroad laid its tracks through the region in the mid 1860s. The population started to grow in this region and Fort Sanders which is a military post just southwest of town didn't have enough room for all the outlaws that started to come along with population growth so they needed a prison. And they finally came up with the fines and the prison was built in 1872. They built this north cell block the north cell block in 1872 and the rest of the prison was built in 1889 due to overcrowding. Is that right now I mean now block that we're in can you tell me a little bit about it. They had a system. Can you tell me about that. Right well when I arrived here this morning it was 25 below zero. This heating vent down here is in the original dock which has been excavated and there is a boiler kept in the cellar down around the corner and the heat would have flowed through this duct up through these small little holes in the brick wall up through these events and then into the cells. It was not a very effective heating system in fact the very best would be 20 to 25

degrees warmer than the outside temperature so on a day like today it would have been zero degrees inside of the prison. Very cold for the prisoners. What was their daily life. Why did they. What kind of a start in the morning and to talk about their daily life. I might want to mention a few of the rules that they live by. The prisoners had to awaken by 5 a.m. during the weekdays and they were allowed to sleep in until 7 a.m. on Sundays. The prisoners would work most of the day for one reason to keep them busy and also to try to make the prison some money. It was one of the main sources of income for the prisoners for the prison to have the prisoners working they had a broom factory they did candle making taxidermy. One of the prisoners Julius Greenwald started a cigar factory while he was here. The prisoners really did things that they were skilled at doing because as I said it keeps them busy and keeps them out of the guards hands. And then also it will be a source of income for the prison. Some of the other things the prisoners

were never allowed to speak with with one another not even when they were inside of their cells must have been very difficult to enforce. However it was one of the rules. The only time they could ever speak is if they were doing their work and their or their speaking had to be related to the work that they were doing. What kind of punishment do they have for them once they were here if they broke the rules. One form would have been solitary confinement. It was a cell very small cell completely dark and that would have been one form. We do have one prisoner who is written documentation that he was strapped to the boiler down in the cellar. Sounds pretty brutal. Some of the prisoners were handcuffed to their cell doors. The South cell block has little slots that we believe they may have been handcuffed to those. Those were some of the main forms of punishment. Are you hearing is over here in a place in the in the heating system. That when they

excavated here they found a number of artifacts right. Right the artifacts were found from I believe the artifacts were found when the livestock farm came in here after the prison was closed. They tore out the cell blocks for the livestock farm and when they did that they found artifacts such as letters and pics. Perhaps the prisoners were trying to escape. Far be it for me to guess that they found some things like that in those record here. Were they able to keep people. They had a pretty poor escape record many prisoners did escape. One for example would be pictures behind me here. In his mind he wanted women on the jury. And to decide his fate. And so he petitioned the court to make them have women serve on the

jury well let him work. Camps were sent to the territorial penitentiary to serve an eight year sentence. He's a tall man but one day he ran across the yard scaled the. Wall. And he got Danton Platt Nebraska before the first officials finally captured him back he served time. But once he got out by he went back Commander and Gene the historian Madison. Historian there at Lander said he became. A straight fellow and became a sheepherder and. Lived there too and ripe old age. Everybody liked him. But everybody liked him in prison too. These are what's most frequently asked question which

sellers which facets unfortunately a lot of first of all it's a great fact. I love the fact that Butch Cassidy was here he was here here for a year and a half. Unfortunately we can't say that this cell was Butch Cassidy's And the reason for that is they they rotated their prisoners often about every two to three weeks they would move prisoners from cell to cell. They didn't want them to get too comfortable inside of their cells in case they're up to anything any type of a skate plan they would throw a wrench into that by moving them into another cell. So in the year and a half that Butch Cassidy was here he could have been and maybe 20 cells we just don't know. And also the records that aspect of which cell particular people were in were not kept very well so. Unfortunately we don't have the answer for that. I I kind of like answering that by saying this whole place was Butch Cassidy. I mean it to know that we were one of the only prisoners if prisons if not the only

prison they're housed with Cassidy. Is to me one of the neatest facts of the prison. Let's go look at one of the actual cells from day. One. These were the original cells how many of these were there of the cells like this there are 42 in each of the cell blocks all of this had to be rebuilt after the livestock years because they brought in their their stalls for their animals. There are 40 to cells in this cell block. 21 on each side. And there are many times when there would have been two prisoners in each one of these cells very very tight quarters in these cells right here. Measure six by six by eight. So for two prisoners serving time in here with that rule where they're never allowed to speak with one another. I would have been pretty tight and pretty difficult to live. The other cell block the cell solid blocks that the cells are even smaller one foot in each direction smaller than this. So these people are living it up right

now. I mean how do you know I see you have a hammock now with that. Yes some of the cells have hammocks others had beds. When there were two prisoners they would have bunk the beds if they could have if they could afford that. And they also had a night table here with a chamber pot that the prisoners sort of had to use instead of a restroom. What about though the lighting situation did they have anything there was no artificial light at all most of the cells. Anyway they were lit by what came through the window. Some of the well behaved prisoners with candles but that wouldn't happen very often. It would of been rather teasing to some of the prisoners because they spent most of their days making candles and then they could have used them in their cells that been almost a form of another punishment. Now we're here on the first floor but there are three stories cellblocks here was there any difference in terms of which prisoners were put. Yes yes there was the prisoners who were well behaved or the prisoners who

had a long tenure inside of the prison would have been held higher up would have been warmer up there. The cells with the way that hot air rises the cells up top would have been warmer than down here. What about. Did anybody die while they were here at the prison. Amazingly only two prisoners according to written records died while being prisoners at the prison. One was Julius Greenwald died of a heart attack inside of his cell the other died of leprosy and he was kept in his own shack behind prison. When he died they did burn the shack down. Some people though it hasn't been written proven believe that he was inside of that shack when they burned it down. We do know that he was buried somewhere here on the grounds we're just not sure where. Have I heard things about Goethe. Some people have have had experiences of ghosts seeing ghosts. Many people believe that and they attribute that to Julius Greenwald because he was the only prisoner who died inside of the prison walls. There were two people who

were taken into or one of the first leaders of the prison was open and they did believe they saw something and they both were separate when they saw it. And then later on they were able to connect stories. So I personally haven't seen anything but at the same time I spend a lot of time inside of the prison so I'm not about to discount any stories. Yeah that's true. In that late 18 90s my there was. A time where if you escape from the penitentiary. And recaptured you didn't get out period and that was sad there were two brothers.

Stole horses. There were a lot of kids here but in my town they stole horses from me got sentiment and I think they had one year send someone to Boris escape. With another. Person. Older fellow I think and the brother did not. Now. The brother. Didn't. Escape why he had the year and got out but that boy at that time did escape recapture and he stayed there until 1935 I believe. I'll tell you it's a very old man and I did not look. Escaping I mean that was a policy. And then this fellow he's ugly as heck. But. I followed his story in the newspapers. He would steal horses from the lander. Like 300 in a bunch. He and his gang to trail him to. Nebraska. And. Sell them.

Mostly to Indian reservations than there are farmers ranchers and there turn around a stiller Catalan and trail in back through Wyoming. When River Range. I think of the women that serve time are hard luck. Women. And. It's sad that they had to go to prison because. Shoplifting today is not considered. In those days it was. So sad for some men and women we. Had a hard time. We have two cells in the cell cell block that were four women and there are 13 names on record though we know that there are only 12 women who serve time here one of which came in served some time was released got married and came back under a different name so there are 13 names and the record. But these two cells here are for the women and they have the same things in their

cells as amended the bed and nightstand would have been about the only thing the one big difference between the men in the women's cells is that the women had their own cell which had a bath tub and a place for there for them to go to the bathroom. Instead of having to share with the men the women were kept completely separate from the men at all at all times. Their cells are in a different section. They ate separately and they worked separately so there was absolutely no interaction between them. Well now at that time. How do people feel about holding men and women prisoners in the same place. Well there was some controversy in fact when they built the South sell black. They made provisions for five cells for women. They decided to only build two. And at that point they decided that that the people building the prison were going to be proved wrong they were going to be unnecessary and before long men would be using those cells it didn't turn out that way. About two months after these cells were built two

women were brought in here. So they were used. He said that there was not any intermingling of the man and the women. Did the man even know that there were women in the prison. Well I think that some of the wardens tried to to make that a fact that the men wouldn't even know that the women were here. I find that almost impossible to believe. Mainly because in order for the women to go anywhere for them to even go to the to the lunchroom where they had to eat their meals they would have to walk pass to the south sell black and then. So it almost seems impossible to me that the men wouldn't know they were here but they certainly tried to keep them separated as possible. They have come through this actually through the rice area right in here is where the room for working the prisoners built their own or made their own clothing. And they also repaired their own clothes in this section right here is where that would have been done. And then the next corner over is where the infirmary was located. And then the stairway down. Down stairs or up stairs to to go to the infirmary or to the.

Lunchroom in the infirmary there's an interesting apparatus. To me it's the scariest thing in the entire prison. It's a foot powered foot operated tooth drill that would have been used by the doctor or the dentist at that time I think I would have chosen a stricter jail sentence than to have to go through that pain but yeah that's one of the artifacts that we have here. For you personally. So many of the stories of the people here which present the most. Horrible a lot of them seem pretty bad. They really scan. The spectrum one of which was just simply brought in because he stretched the truth. Quite a few were brought in for murder. I think the worst story about a prisoner here for me every time I even think of his name I think of how awful it was for him. It was a man

Allison Cunningham who was sentenced to 20 years for murder and after serving 13 years and 11 months after serving almost 14 years. The victim's wife and son came forward and admitted the crime. So he had to serve almost 14 years of a prison sentence here and he was innocent the whole time. That to me is the worst account I think that many of the crimes were just awful one one of the prisoners was arrested for murdering his own wife. He was 80 years old at the time she was 70. He came in here he said that her name was sleep. That was her name. And he killed her when she was 70 because he thought she was too lazy. That to me is amazing. It's just too weird for words I guess. My favorite character was a kid 17 years old came to Laramie and you know he was from Ohio and

go West young man so he came here by himself and. He got hooked up with a lady rancher and helped her brand a calf. Well. You can't tell me he didn't know that was wrestling the calf but he did get caught and put in the county jail while in jail Pelton met hardened criminal Duncan Blackburn. The two escaped and spent the next year robbing the Cheyenne and the deadwood stage. After one particularly big haul they got liquored up. PELTON awoke the next day to discover that the other members of the gang and the gold were gone. This. Kid. Went with another fellow looking for. The gold. Couple and. They were being rounded up at the six mile ranch in order to surrender. And this kid went in the other room and he got a gun and he told this deputy share.

Let this guy go. His name is Duncan. Blackbird. And the deputy shot at him. And shot the deputy and killed him. Pelton was eventually captured and served two years three months time in the Wyoming territorial prison. What I like about this character is he made a decision he made a decision to stay in Laramie and serve his time. And pay back the community because they helped me get the application. And I made a ballad that he pay back society. So he stayed. In Laramie and now went into business and he was a carpenter by trade in a way and I'm a. Board member and the local ho fan and his family still living and every one of them are college

educated people in. The past tells us who we were. What we value what we put. The past. And how far we have to go. Thanks to my guests for sharing this world with us. And thank you for joining us. For a copy of this or any Main Street Wyoming send a check or money order to Wyoming Public

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