1872 Federal Penitentiary and Butch Cassidy's Only Confinement
975 Snowy Range Rd, Laramie, WY 82070
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Adult admission is approximately $5-10 for Wyoming residents; non-resident pricing slightly higher.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Restored prison interior with limestone-floor cellblocks and exhibits; grounds are level
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1872 · National Register of Historic Places · Only Butch Cassidy Prison Sentence · Wyoming's First State Penitentiary (1890-1901) · Federal Penitentiary (1872-1890)
The U.S. Congress authorized construction of a federal penitentiary at Laramie in 1869 to handle the criminal docket of the Wyoming Territory. The first cellblock opened in 1872 on a six-acre site at the western edge of Laramie. The structure was built of locally quarried limestone with red sandstone trim, with exterior walls two feet thick.
The prison operated as a federal penitentiary from 1872 until Wyoming statehood in 1890, after which it served as the state's first penitentiary until 1901. Among the more than 1,000 men and several women confined during this period, the most-cited individual inmate is Robert LeRoy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy. Parker served 18 months at Wyoming Territorial beginning in 1894 for horse theft, working in the broom factory; he received a pardon from Governor William Richards in January 1896. Wyoming Territorial is the only formal prison sentence Cassidy is known to have served.
Julius Greenwelch, prisoner number 338, was sentenced to life for the murder of his wife. He operated a small cigar-making business from his cell, supplying both fellow inmates and prison staff, and died in custody on July 6, 1901. Tom Horn was held at Wyoming Territorial briefly before being moved to Cheyenne for his 1903 trial and execution.
The state moved penitentiary operations to a new facility at Rawlins in 1901. The Laramie buildings were transferred to the University of Wyoming and used as an agricultural research station for most of the 20th century. In 1989, the State of Wyoming began a comprehensive restoration; the prison was reopened as the Wyoming Territorial Park in 1991 and is currently administered by Wyoming State Parks. The complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sources
Julius Greenwelch anchors the prison's most-cited paranormal account. Greenwelch was prisoner number 338, sentenced to life for the murder of his wife. He spent his time in custody operating a small cigar-making business from his cell, and reportedly maintained a steady tobacco-curing routine until his July 1901 death. Visitors and staff at the restored prison have reported the recurring scent of cigar smoke in the cellblock Greenwelch occupied, with no obvious source. The reports are consistent enough to be part of standard tour narration.
Other accounts include footsteps in the cellblocks after closing, doors that open and close on their own, and the sense of a presence in the warden's office. Visitors on the after-hours Ghost Tours of Laramie lights-out tour report cold spots concentrated in specific cells.
Butch Cassidy's 18-month confinement does not generate the same volume of paranormal accounts, perhaps because Cassidy left the prison alive and pardoned rather than dying in custody. The broom factory where Cassidy and other prisoners labored remains intact and is included on the standard tour.
The state historic site frames these accounts as part of the prison's cultural and interpretive layer alongside the documented frontier-justice history. The site reports hosting more than 15,000 visitors annually.
Notable Entities
One-hour guided tour visits the restored cellblocks, the warden's office, and the broom factory where prisoners including Butch Cassidy labored. Tour interprets the 1872-1901 operational period and notable inmates such as Julius Greenwelch, prisoner #338, who ran a cigar-making operation from his cell until his 1901 death.
Self-paced visit through the restored prison, the National U.S. Marshals Museum exhibits, the broom factory, and the adjacent historic ranching exhibits. Original cells and the prison's hand-quarried limestone construction remain intact.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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Yuma Territorial Prison opened on July 1, 1876, on a granite bluff overlooking the confluence of the Gila and Colorado Rivers. It operated for 33 years until September 15, 1909, confining 3,069 prisoners including 29 women. The site is now Arizona's third state park, established in 1961, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Joliet, IL
The Old Joliet Prison opened May 22, 1858, when fifty-three inmates arrived at a small structure to begin building the larger penitentiary around themselves. Designed by Chicago architect William W. Boyington and constructed of limestone quarried on-site, it operated until 2002 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2023.
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