Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
about 1 month ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
about 1 month ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
about 1 month ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
about 1 month ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Wyoming Rawlins Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum

Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum

This prison-turned-museum is a remnant of the Old West's grizzly, violent past.

Rawlins, Wyoming

Added By
ikirol
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Cell blocks at the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum.   Flickr User: Howard Twine
Cell blocks at the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum.   Flickr User: Howard Twine
A look inside a cell.   Flickr User: Howard Twine
The grounds of the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum.   Flickr User: Howard Twine
The gas chamber.   Flickr User: Howard Twine
The former reception area.   Flickr User: Howard Twine
More cell blocks at the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum.   Flickr User: Howard Twine
The Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum today.   Wyoming Tourism Board
Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum when it was active, early 20th century.   Wyoming Tourism Board
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Post-Civil War Wyoming was one of the wildest of the wild west states. Its endless canyons were an asylum for outlaws, its untouched plains a playground for the law averse.

Anxiously awaiting statehood, Wyoming chose Rawlins as the prime location for its new prison. The Cowboy State, as it was to become known, no longer intended to act as a haven for criminals. The Wyoming Frontier Prison was going to enforce the territories intention to be a law-abiding member of the union.

Opening in 1901, the prison consisted of 104 cell blocks, and in the beginning was absent of running water or electricity. Women were housed in the prison until 1909, until the last woman was transferred to Colorado. In the 80 years that the prison operated, general advancements were made on the facilities, and due to the apparent popularity of the institution, many expansions were made. 

The prison used various methods of discipline for the people incarcerated there, many of which are considered inhumane today. Methods including a dungeon, solitary confinement, and a “punishment pole” to which men were handcuffed and whipped. It was the setting of prison riots and daring escapes. Train robbers, horse thieves, and murderers made up the bulk of the population over the years—when it closed its doors in 1981, the prison had held at least 13,500 people within its walls, and executed 14.

The Wyoming Frontier Prison reopened as a museum in 1988. It now offers three-hour tours, guiding you through the cafeteria, the grounds, three of the former cell blocks, and of course the Death House, where 14 men were executed for their transgressions: nine by hanging and five in the still-present gas chamber.

Historical artifacts from prison life, fascinating inmate profiles, and an exhibit dedicated to the prison's film debut in the 1987 Viggo Mortensen film Prison are some of the most standout attractions, and the spooky, misery-soaked grounds are an obvious favorite for ghost hunters hoping to spot a tortured soul forever trapped within the prison walls. The weather in these parts can be unforgiving—make sure to call ahead even on scheduled operating days as the museum closes when roads get too treacherous to receive visitors responsibly. 

 

Related Tags

Museums Prisons Crime And Punishment Crime Museums Ghosts

Know Before You Go

I-80 East: First exit into Rawlins which will put you on Cedar Street. Stay on Cedar until you get to 5th Street and turn Right. You will see us on the top of 5th Street. I-80 West: First exit into Rawlins which will put you on Spruce Street. Stay on Spruce until you get to 5th Street and turn Left. You will see us on the top of 5th Street. 287 North: Go straight into Rawlins on 287 (which will turn into 3rd St.). Turn right onto Walnut St.

Community Contributors

Added By

ikirol

Edited By

Rachel

  • Rachel

Published

December 13, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.wyomingtourism.org/thingstodo/detail/Wyoming-Frontier-Prison-Museum/4748
  • http://www.wyomingfrontierprison.org
Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum
500 West Walnut Street
Rawlins, Wyoming, 82301
United States
41.792361, -107.242063
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Devil’s Gate (Wyoming)

Alcova, Wyoming

miles away

Grand Encampment Museum

Encampment, Wyoming

miles away

Independence Rock

Casper, Wyoming

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Wyoming

Wyoming

United States

Places 63
Stories 19

Nearby Places

Devil’s Gate (Wyoming)

Alcova, Wyoming

miles away

Grand Encampment Museum

Encampment, Wyoming

miles away

Independence Rock

Casper, Wyoming

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Wyoming

Wyoming

United States

Places 63
Stories 19

Related Places

  • Old Prison of Trois-Rivières

    Trois-Rivières, Québec

    Old Prison of Trois-Rivières

    This historic Canadian jail was once the longest operating prison in the country and is now open for people to incarcerate themselves.

  • Littledean Jail

    Littledean, England

    Littledean Jail and Museum of Crime

    A 200-year-old prison that now houses a peculiar crime museum.

  • Globe, Arizona

    The 1910 Gila County Sheriff's Office and Jail

    A historic jail preserves etchings from over a century of incarcerated people in a town with a rough and tumble past.

  • Oxford Castle & Prison

    Oxford, England

    Oxford Castle & Prison

    This Norman castle was once the site of a Victorian-era prison, and now exists as a luxury hotel.

  • The Commissariat from the vital Rover Brisbane side.

    Brisbane, Australia

    Commissariat Store

    Its most grisly object is a jar full of severed fingers allegedly cut off by prisoners to avoid work.

  • Peter the dog.

    Brisbane, Australia

    Queensland Police Museum

    It's home to the taxidermy remains of Peter, the dog who helped convict a murderer.

  • D Block.

    Petros, Tennessee

    Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary

    This former maximum-security prison is creepy, sobering, and supposedly haunted.

  • Museum of Confiscated Art

    Brest, Belarus

    Museum of Confiscated Art

    A small museum in this border city displays the contraband art that has been stolen back from smugglers.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.