Curiosity Unveiled: Wyoming Frontier Prison
Torture, Executions and Murder Haunts The Inside Of This Historic Museum Once A Notorious State Penitentiary That Bleeds Story After Story
George Sabin was known as the leader of seven cow men in Spring Creek, Wyoming. In what was later known as the “Spring Creek Raid,” Sabin led his men on a masked riders raid through Joe Allemend's sheep camp, killing Allemend and two other sheep men. Sabin had waned Allemend dead because he had brought his herd of 5,000 sheep into the Nowood Valley, which cattle interests had declared off limits to sheep.
In 1909, Sabin was charged with second degree murder and sentenced to be incarcerated at the Wyoming State Penitentiary.
Sabin was one of 13,500 people to be sentenced to the historic prison during its years in operation, 1901 to 1981. The prison's 80 year run is known to be as colorful and elaborate as a movie about the wild west itself, complete with a dungeon, torture, executions and even murder. It's a different side of life than most people are used to. And that's what has made the prison a popular place to visit to this day.
Now a museum, the Wyoming Frontier Prison (as it's now known) draws in crowds each day from all over the world... People who are curious about the macabre... People who want to see what alternative state history the prison holds within its walls... With four different galleries and an hour long guided tour, the prison is full of some of the most fascinating stories Wyoming has to offer.
The guided tour leads visitors through all three cell blocks, the exercise yard, the industrial yard, the cafeteria and the death house, spread throughout 59.5 acres. All authentic, the prison looks how it would have back when it was active and full of felons.
“Right when you first walk into cell block A you see the five-by-seven cells, locked by a device called the Johnson Bar.You see the sandstone,” said Historic Site Director Gina Hill. “You can actually feel the history.”
And there is a lot of history to feel.
Knowledgable tour guides will talk about Bill Carlile, the last great train robber in Wyoming, who had a cell in A block in 1915. The prisoner escaped in a shirt crate in 1919. At the time, the prison had a shirt factory where inmates would manufacture shirts and place them in crates that were later put them on trains for shipment.
He hid in a crate and was taken down to the depot to be put on the train. He popped out and ran away. Noted Hill: “Of course, he had to rob one more train.”
Of course, he was captured and brought back to the prison. After 20 years, he was finally released. He wrote an autobiography - “The Lone Bandit” - and opened up multiple successful businesses, really turning his life around.
But for the inmates in cell block A, not every story had a happy ending. In 1912 a man was thrown off the fourth tier, an illegal lynching performed by fellow inmates.
“A woman used to come into the prison to bring cookies and goodies to the inmates,” said Hill. “The inmates found out this man was brought to prison for assaulting that woman.”
The eerie and seemingly empty Wyoming Frontier Prison is overstuffed with story after story. It seems as though there's an endless supply of inmate tales... Stories of adventure. Stories about death... All of them a fascinating look into a life most have never seen or experienced.
“And that,” said Hill, “is why we're a museum.”
One of the most popular parts of the tour is the death house, which include the remains of gallows and a gas chamber. Guests are even allowed to take a seat in the gas chamber if they want. For many visitors, the death house is insight into a different kind of life... It's a reminder of the harsh life of a prisoner... The outcome of a dangerous and violent life.
Only nine inmates were executed (“There's not a lot of mass people committing crimes here in Wyoming,” noted Hill. “It's very small with a very small population.”). The very first inmate to be executed for first degree murder was Joseph Feng.
“He was also a member of the prison's baseball team,” Hill continued. “He was very well liked. Even the warden liked him. Other inmates liked him. When he was on the team, the team did really well. So we have this prisoner diary written by an inmate who was here four different times. He said, 'The baseball team didn't amount to much once he was executed.'”
The Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum is not only about the inmates, but about the people who worked there. It's about the history of crime and punishment in Wyoming. It's about excellent storytelling and a unexpectedly fun way to be entertained.
The museum offers night tours throughout the summer, which start at 9 pm. By that time the sun is long gone. So the prison – which relies on natural light – is very, very dark, except for a few candles and some flashlights. The tour guides and employees also get to have a bit of fun, purposely scaring the visitors.
When asked how they go about scaring guests, Hill said “I can't reveal my secrets!”
After working at the prison museum for 26 years, it's safe to say that Hill has had a lot of experience scaring and entertaining the people who visit the museum.
After graduating high school in Alaska, Hill and her family moved to Wyoming after her dad received orders from the military. She attended the University of Wyoming for business, but hated it. So she went into history, not knowing what she would do with it. She moved to the small town of Rolland with her current husband, but was unsure if it was really for her.
Until she saw the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum.
“I don't know what it was,” she recalled, “but we just drove by it and I thought, 'If I get a job here, I'd stay.' The stories fascinated me. The building itself... Right when you walk in – the smells and the feeling you get...You really fall under its spell.”
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
Make Sure To Stay At:
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