One of the oldest buildings in Wyoming, the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site is the only prison to have held Butch Cassidy. Also it was the location where he met the Sundance Kid and other convicts whom eventually became the Wild Bunch group. All in all, the Wyoming Territorial Prison has emprisoned one thousand sixty-three convicts in it’s thirty years as a prison. However, in the begining it was notorious for prison escapes. When it opened in 1873, out of the fourty-four convicts incarcerated that year, eleven of them escaped! So they built a retaining wall and by 1877 it was overcrowded with inmates.
More than just a prison
By 1901, the prison closed and the building was transfered to the University of Wyoming as a Agricultural experimenting station until 1989. Because of that, there is a vast agricultural exhibit at this prison as well as a restored ghost town. Best of all, they have a Butch Cassidy exhibit with lots of artifacts and interesting information. Come learn all about his days as the United states most famous train and bank robber of all time.
Who was Butch Cassidy?
Born Robert Leroy Parker, on April 13, 1866 he was convicted of stealing a horse and sentenced to serve time at the Wyoming Territorial Prison. Where he was released after eighteen months for good behavior. Little did they know, he started to form the Wild Bunch group while he was serving time. In this very location is where he met Clark Benton, aka the Sunshine kid. Who also got pardoned for good behavior from the prison. Afterwards, Butch went on to become one of the nations most successful bank and train robber of all time with his Wild Bunch group. Overall, they stole more than $233,905 from trains, banks, and payroll. In 1901 the gang dissolved and it is unknown if Butch died in a gun-fight with authorities in Bolivia or if he returned to the United states under a different identity.
Butch Cassidy mug shot from the Wyoming Territorial Prison
Fun Facts
- Convicts were sentenced to work in the broom factory, had to wear black and white striped uniforms, their names were replaced with numbers and they were required to remain silent at all times.
- Only two deaths happened at this prison. Since the warden did not want to have to pay for burials or to ship a body back home to the relatives. He had a doctor check on them on a regular basis. If the doctor said the convict may die due to his illness, he was pardoned and released.
Interesting Convicts
Arthur Hinman:
The youngest convict to get incarcerated at the Wyoming Territorial Prison. He was incarcerated for grand larceny and was only fourteen years old.
Julius Greenwald:
Was a cigar maker, who went to have fun in a brothel and found his wife working there so he shot her dead. Sadly he never served his life sentence because he died of heart disease in prison cell 10 three years after his conviction.
Julius Greenwald
James Brown:
Convicted of forgery and sentenced to three years. With one year left on his sentence, he escaped the prison while cleaning the chicken house on May 30, 1903. When he was recaptured, punished and another thirty years was added to his sentence which he served at the state penitentiary in Rawlins. He was released in May 1935 at the age of ninety-nine.
William T Wilcox:
While he was incarcerated, he became friends with Butch Cassidy. It is believed that he rode with the Wild Bunch when he and Cassidy were released from prison. Later on, he started to impersonate Cassidy, leading many to believe that Cassidy had returned from South America.
Hours
| Wednesday – Saturday | Sunday – Tuesday | |
| May 1 – September 30 | 8 am – 7:00 pm | 8 am – 7:00 pm |
| October 1 – October 6 | 8 am – 5:00 pm | 8 am – 5:00 pm |
| October 7 – April 30 | 10 am – 3:00 pm | Closed |
Last admission is 1 hour before closing!
Closed Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas eve and Christmas day.
Admission
$7
Plan to spend an hour and a half here.
Directions
Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site
975 Snowy Range Rd,
Laramie, WY 82070
From I-80 W, take exit 311 for WY-130/WY-230/Snowy Range Rd, and turn right on WY-130/WY-230/Snowy Range Rd. Take a left onto W Garfield St, then turn right and destination will be on your left.
Accommodations
The closest accommodations are in Laramie, Wyoming. My link will search through all the online sites to find you the best price available. By purchasing your trip through my link, this site will earn a small commission on your purchase. Rest assured that it will not cost you anything extra! In Fact, the only difference is that this site will earn a commission instead of another booking site. Thank your sponsorship!
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