Historical Jail & Prison Museums of Colorado
*** Please note: Not all of these old jails are haunted. (But some of them certainly are).
I created this page mainly for the historical content and interest.
Canon City
Museum of Colorado Prisons
Historical photos from: www.prisonmuseum.org
Cañon City, in southern Colorado, is the home of the Museum of Colorado Prisons, a showcase of the atmosphere and exhibits of days,
staff and inmates gone by.
A visit to the the Royal Gorge Region isn't complete without stopping and "doing" time in this historical cell house that was the original
Women's Correctional Facility constructed in 1935.
The remodeled facility now welcomes visitors to explore the history of Colorado Corrections. Individual MP3 and CD audio tours guide
visitors through 32 cells filled with exciting exhibits and life sized models that link the past to the present in dramatic presentation.
Other artifacts and exhibits include:
* The hangman's noose used for the last execution by hanging in Colorado
* Confiscated inmate weapons and contraband
* The gas chamber
* Rare, historic photographs depicting life in prison facilities
* Displays of disciplinary paraphernalia used from 1871 to the present
* Federal Bureau of Prisons display
* Inmate Arts and Crafts
* Gift Shop Check out the new t-shirt designs
* And much more!
Above photo: Prison personnel pose in 1876. Each uniform hat was labeled with the guard's title. The hats above read, TURNKEY,
OVERSEER, CELL HOUSE, and CAPTAIN. The Warden stands second from left in the derby hat.
PHOTO FROM: www.prisonmuseum.org
Gas Chamber photo from www.hauntedcolorado.net - (2005) Old morbid postcard - (photo from E-Bay)
Walter “Shorty” Jones was allowed, for his last request, to have two bottles of beer. And after enjoying them on Dec. 1, 1933, he became
the last man to be legally hanged in the state of Colorado. The noose used to hang Shorty Jones is now on display at the Museum of
Colorado Prisons in Canon City. You can “do some time” in the museum, which was the original women’s correctional facility constructed
in 1935.
From: Boulder Daily Camera article: www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jun/14/canon-city-colorado-prison-museum-vacation-tunnel/
Canon City: The last hangman's noose
By Laura Snider
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Above noose photo from www.hauntedcolorado.net - 2005
The Canon City Territorial Prison Museum
201 North 1st Street
Cañon City, Colorado
719 269-3015
www.prisonmuseum.org
pcurator@aol.com
museumprisons@aol.com
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Cedaredge
Surface Creek Valley Historical Society
P.O. Box 906
Cedaredge, CO 81413
Ph: (970) 856-7554
Pioneer Town
www.pioneertown.org/
pioneertown@mail.tds.net
Hours:
9:00 am - 4:00 pm Monday - Saturday
1:00 am - 4:00 pm Sundays
www.cedaredgecolorado.com/index.aspx?NID=61
When you visit Pioneer Town, you get a taste of frontier life during the past century in quaint Cedaredge, Colorado.
As you walk along the wooden sidewalks of Pioneer Town's Main Street, The old jail is one of the historic buildings that you can visit.
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Cedaredge City Jail Was Moved to Pioneer Town in 1981
www.pioneertown.org/jail.html
By Verna Barr
Staff Writer
This is the 3rd in a series of articles in review of the history of Pioneer Town, how it came to be here, how it grew, and some of what the
museum contains. It is also a tribute to the many hard-working volunteers who have made and continue to make a dream, a reality.
The old Cedaredge City Jail was built ninety-one years ago, 1907, by Lewis Dolf. The location was across from Cedaredge Lumber Yard
on the present site of the new fire station.
Jack MacAdams, as a kid, recalls, "The jail was fenced in -- not only was it a jail, the fenced area served as a 'pound' for cattle that had
been found loose on the streets in town. Cattle had to be claimed by owners for release."
Several stories have been told about the jail. One, related in Surface Creek Country, by Hazel Austin tells of, "a Cedaredge visitor who
was picked up on a drunk charge and put into the little jail. Because the building was so well constructed, the prisoner could neither tear
down the bars or break down the door." He did, somehow, manage to escape through a hole in the roof, perhaps by removing a stove
pipe or chimney. He escaped before daylight and apparently left the area, not to be seen again.
Scorched timbers inside the building are said to be caused by another prisoner. This 'guest' started a fire inside the building to warm up
the place. The fire got out of hand. Billowing smoke was spotted, the fire department responded and the flames were extinguished.
Evidence is still visible inside the structure.
Eventually the building was moved several miles north of Cedaredge to the 'intake' where Cedaredge took its water from Surface Creek. It
housed the water meter. Ed Watson, Town Marshall, was also in charge of the town's water system. He had a cot in there and set it up as
a kind of headquarters. The nearby grounds became a popular picnic area. Later this part of the water system was bypassed and the
building was abandoned.
Cedaredge gave the structure to Pioneer Town in 1981. All they had to do was move it. Archie and Dode Peterson, Jack MacAdams and
other volunteers went up early to get the building jacked high enough to put it onto Archie's flatbed trailer that he used for hauling heavy
equipment. It took a full day's hard work. "It was sitting down by the creek bank." Jack said, "I can remember Archie had to give it every
thing he had to get it up out of that hole, around a sharp corner and up onto the road."
The historical building is relocated at the south end of the boardwalk in Pioneer Town. The heavy iron bars remain on the door and the
two small windows. The construction of the building (2 x 6's, spiked together the same as the silos) was solid enough that very little had to
be done to it after moving it to the site.
Volunteers Vinetta Butcher and Verda Schafer created the 'drunken dummy' draped across the cot inside.
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Cheyenne Wells
Cheyenne Wells Old Jail Museum
(Cheyenne County Jail)
Photo from: www.townofcheyennewells.com/ourcommunity/index.html
Cheyenne Wells Jail Museum
85 West 2nd Street, Cheyenne Wells, CO 80810
Open Memorial Day to Labor Day
Mon-Fri, 1-4 pm or Sat-Sun, 2-5 pm ------ Or by special appointment ----- (719) 767-5865.
The county constructed its 1894 jail following the plans of noted Denver architect Robert S. Roeschlaub. The building is the only
remaining jailhouse of two designed by Roeschlaub and represents the development of the urban frontier on the plains of Colorado.
Even law-abiding visitors to Cheyenne County love to spend a little time in “jail” where the Cheyenne County Museum served as the
county’s lock-up for nearly 75 years.
The Cheyenne County Jail housed both the local ne’er-do-wells and the sheriff’s family with just one reported prisoner escape. Visit this
notable entry on the National Register of Historical Places and, unlike our late 19th Century guests, you can walk right out the front door
whenever you please.
www.ourjourney.info/MyJourneyDestinations/CheyenneCountyMuseum.asp
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Cripple Creek
Outlaws and Lawmen Jail Museum
Photo from: www.cripple-creek.co.us/OutlawsandLawmenJailMuseum.aspx
Housed in a red-brick building that served as the Teller County Jail for nearly 90 years, this historic Cripple Creek museum gives
visitors an authentic taste of the shadier side of life in the World’s Greatest Gold Camp, along with a glimpse into the lives of the lawmen
charged with keeping the peace.
As you can imagine, the jail was never short of occupants. Besides holding local burglars, robbers, highwaymen and other minor
criminals, in its original incarnation this Colorado jail museum was also used to hold more serious offenders, including Robert Curry (aka
Bob Lee), a member of the “Wild Bunch” gang who was captured after lawmen found him hiding in town.
The curators of our Cripple Creek jail museum have kept the original cells intact, so visitors can experience for themselves what life was
like for those on the wrong side of the law. There are also displays highlighting the laws and the lawless, with samples of police logs from
the 1890s, copies of early city ordinances and newspaper accounts of crimes both big and small.
Be sure to visit the Outlaws and Lawmen Jail Museum in historic Cripple Creek. You simply won’t find a more authentic Colorado jail
museum experience anywhere else.
www.visitcripplecreek.com/OutlawsandLawmenJailMuseum.aspx
www.mountainpeakparanormal.com/Outlaws.Lawmen.Jail.Museum.htm
www.cripple-creek.co.us/JailHouseTale.aspx
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Haswell ~ (Kiowa County)
The Town of Haswell, whose name is believed to have been chosen because the community has-a-well, was originally platted in 1908.
Having the “NATION’S SMALLEST JAIL” gives Haswell a distinction no other U.S. city can claim.
Jail photo courtesy of: www.kiowacountycolo.com/haswell.htm
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Las Animas
Old Bent County 1912 Jail
Photo from: www.phsbc.info/oldjail.htm (Pioneer Historical Society)
CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS - As of 8/7/2009. (Please call to see when it will reopen for tours)
325 Amb Thompson Blvd
Las Animas, CO 81054
Phone: 719-456-0946
Email: gloria_l_dillon@yahoo.com
The Old Bent County Jail, located at 325 Ambassador Thompson Blvd., was built on the Courthouse Square in 1912 at a cost of
$8,478.00 and served as the county jail until the spring of 2000. The downstairs contained the residential quarters for the sheriff and
family. A separate entrance led to the jail proper located on the second floor.
The building still bears its original architectural features including a cut sandstone foundation, yellow and red brick exterior, and an
ornate metal roof line. This sandstone architecture is one of the better preserved and most stable example of this building method in
Southeast Colorado. It is at least 100 years old this year (2002). Curtis Gates, aka Ken Curtis and Festus of the popular TV series
Gunsmoke, was among the many who lived in the jail. This was his boyhood home from age ten to age sixteen, when his father, Dan
Gates, was Bent County sheriff (1926-1932).
Curtis grew up in Bent Co and his father, Dan Gates, was sheriff for six years. Visitors are welcome and can make arrangements by
calling 719-456-0946.
At the time Las Animas had a population of about 1,700. His father had been a cattleman, but the Dust Bowl era brought an end to that.
The sheriff position meant a steady income and they had a place to live. In those days it meant outhouse facilities and washboard
laundering. His mother, Nellie Sneed Gates, not only fed her family but also the jail prisoners. Ken and his brother milked their cows, so
there was always fresh milk to go along with the chicken and biscuits. His mother watched over her boys whenever they had to serve
meals to the prisoners, and she was a sure shot. Although Ken and his brother lived with bank robbers, holdup men, and drunks, the
children never felt afraid. Some of the infamous Fleagle gang members were housed in the jail prior to their hanging. There was only one
jail break success during their stint at the jail.
It is located north of the Bent Co. Courthouse on Highway 50.
www.bentcounty.org/sitesandcelebrations/historic.htm
www.phsbc.info/oldjail.htm
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New Castle
The old New Castle Jail
Photo from www.newcastlecolorado.com
Old New Castle Jail ~ built in 1897
Part of the New Castle Historical Museum
New Castle Historical Society & Museum
116 N. 7th. Street
(970) 984-2142
www.newcastlecolorado.com/history/museum.htm
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Ouray
The Ouray Jail
Source of this information, article, and above photos: www.ouraycountyhistoricalsociety.org/Jail.htm
This cell was used for many years without a jailbreak even though prisoners constantly thought about it. The jail was located at the
County Courthouse in Ouray until the 1990's when it was donated to the historical society and moved across the street to the Museum.
Prior to the installation of this jail at the courthouse, Ouray had a sturdy wooden one. During the time the wooden jail was in use an
interesting event took place. People don't usually try to break into jail , but once it happened here! Imagine what it would be like to be
locked in a cell with a lynch mob outside the building trying to break down the door? What would it be like to smell smoke and hear the
crackling of fire near you, but you couldn't escape? You can learn why a mob was so angry at that imprisoned man and what happened
to him. Below you can see the inside of this old jail.
Ouray County Historical Society Museum
970) 325-4576
www.ouraycountyhistoricalsociety.org
OCHS@ouraynet.com
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Saguache
The Old Jail at the Saguache County Museum
Photo from: www.sanluisvalleyheritage.org/heritage-maps-and-trips/suggested-trips/in-the-steps-of-pioneers-1
The old jail, built in 1908, is an adobe building finished with stucco. The interior has a sheriff's office, a women's or V.I.P. cell, and a large
room or "bull pen" with an escape-proof maximum security "cage". This jail was used until 1958. Original graffiti done by prisoners still
adorns the walls.
The jail with the sign above the iron bar door reads "Saguache County Jail 1908." Remember this date when someone tells you " Alferd
Packer was actually imprisoned in this building."
Alfie was captured in 1874, but held in a dungeon outside of town, from which he did escape.
The jail holds an early ring-it-yourself telephone, the sheriff's desk, and bearskin coats, part of a still, photos of Slim Paul, the sheriff who
raided a number of local stills. The women's cell adjoining the front office holds a replica of Alfie, who sends a chill down the spine of
visitors! A figure of Packer sits in the women's cell at the Saguache County Museum. Sheriff Amos Wall guards the prisoner from his
chair in his office. On display are handcuffs, leg irons and other items relating to the history of Alferd Packer. One gentleman said
Saguache is the original home of "fast food" popularity, (as Packer was accused of eating his five companions while snowbound in
Cochetopa Pass area west of Saguache). The men's cell horrifies all who are "locked in." Some visitors decline the invitation to step
inside the heavy iron doors, and into the cells within a cell, and no one can imagine breaking out! Graffiti covers the walls and the
ceiling. Many people visit to see if their name is still uncovered. Saddles of local "cowboys", made by famous saddle makers are
exhibited along the south wall, along with many other interesting relics of the 1800s.
Among its many historic displays, the 50-year old Saguache County Museum houses Ute artifacts in the Indian Room, and exhibits of
memorabilia from the earliest Saguache settlers.
The display in the 1908 jail depicts Alferd Packer watched over by Sheriff Wall. In 1874 Packer was held in a dungeon outside of
Saguache after he was stranded in heavy mountain snow and survived by dining on his dead comrades.
US Highway 285
PO Box 243
Saguache, CO 81149
(719) 655-2805
Margaret Finnerty Open 10-4 Every Day - Memorial Day through 3rd Weekend of September
Adults $5.00 -- Children under 12 $1.00
www.museumtrail.org/SaguacheCountyMuseum.asp
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Silver Plume
The Silver Plume Jail
All of the photos of the old Silver Plume jail on this page were taken by www.hauntedcolorado.net (2005). All rights reserved, please.
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Silverton
The 1903 San Juan County Jail & Museum
The San Juan County Museum, in the old San Juan County Jail next to the courthouse. The jail was built in 1902 and was the first
structure on the Courthouse Square. With three floors of exhibits, the jail still contains its original four-cell block and a wealth of relics
from Silverton’s mining boomtown days. www.silvertonmagazine.com
The Article (below) and the above gorgeous jail photo are from: http://silvertonrestoration.blogspot.
com/2009/05/1903-san-juan-county-jail-museum.html
The 1903 jail building was the third known jail structure in the Town of Silverton, Colorado. The first jail structure was a one-room cell
constructed of wood. The second jail structure was two-cell jail built of stone. The third jail structure (5SA1189) was built of brick with
dressed limestone detailing. The recurring escape of prisoners from the first two jail structures led to the necessity of a multi-cell, state-of-
the-art, escape proof and fireproof structure. An article in the Silverton Standard newspaper, dated April 26, 1902 described the last
prison break to occur in San Juan County from the second of the three structures, the stone jailhouse. The County Commissioners
quickly responded to the problem, placing an advertisement in that same periodical on May 10th, 1902, soliciting bids for the construction
of a new facility. An announcement of the award of the contract for the construction of the now existing jail was printed on May 31st, 1902,
declaring Thomas Edwards of Silverton as the recipient of the contract for the project, to be completed by November of the following year
for a fixed price of $12,175. Several other articles pertaining to the construction of the jail appear in the Silverton Standard over the
course of the next year. According to the Jail Resister of San Juan County, Andy Johnson, a 38-year old male, found guilty of burglary,
was the first prisoner to be incarcerated, beginning his 5-month and 26-day commitment on November 16th, 1903. A foiled escape plan
from the new facility was reported in the Silverton Standard on October 8th, 1904.
The building served as the County jail until the early 1920’s when it abandoned for approximately 10 years due to the decline in
population and crime in San Juan County. In the early 1930’s the building became home to a small population of elderly miner’s who were
essentially wards of the County. Several death certificates held in the County archive identify the former jail building as the County Poor
House during this period. However, by the end of World War II, the building was again abandoned.
In 1965, the San Juan County Historical Society (SJCHS) www.silvertonhistoricsociety.org/index_files/page0012.htm entered into a 99-
year lease of the structure from the County. The San Juan County Historical Museum remains housed in the former San Juan County Jail
building. A comprehensive restoration of the building was begun in 2008 and is anticipated to be complete by 2011.
Read more about the historical jail here: www.silvertonhistoricsociety.org/index_files/page0008.htm
San Juan County Historical Society
P.O. Box 154
Silverton, Colorado 81433
Archive: 970-387-5609
Museum: 970-387-5838 (summer)
Email: silvertonarchive@aol.com
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Telluride
The Old Town Jail
The stone jail is thought to have been built in 1885 by a livery stable owner. It was previously occupied by the Wilkinson Public Library.
The original wooden jail was built in 1878 and is now located in Town Park.
www.telluridetoday.com/historical.htm
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Trinidad
The Old Fire House No. 1 Children's Museum
In the dungeon-like basement of this museum houses Trinidad's original jail cells.
Those who dare may enter them and close the heavy iron doors. These were Trinidad's original jail cells that housed dozens of well-
known desperados. From: www.southerncolorado.info/attraction.php?id=90
Photo from: www.historictrinidad.com/tourism/museums.html
Old Fire House No. 1 Children’s Museum
314 N. Commercial St.
719-846-8220 or 719-846-2024
With its “please touch” exhibits for kids of all ages, the museum offers a hands-on adventure into Trinidad’s past. Children may sound
the fire alarm and climb aboard the old red fire truck or blow the whistle of the model train as it winds around mountains, past villages and
coal mines. Upstairs, a replica of an early 1900s classroom and a vintage kitchen invite imaginative play. Children love the dress-up area
and the spooky basement, which houses Trinidad’s not-so-accommodating original jail cells.
Open June 1-Aug 31, Mon-Fri 11am-3pm. Call for special tours and events.
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Walsenburg
The original Walsenburg jail, now the Walsenburg Mining Museum
Photo from: www.historictrinidad.com/tourism/museums.html
LOCATED IN the 1896 Huerfano County Jail, the Walsenburg Mining Museum also has memorabilia from the original jail including a
"furnished" cell. See where such notable law-breakers as Bob Ford, the murderer of Jesse James (he killed another man in Walsenburg),
and Mary "Mother" Jones, a labor organizer in the 1903-1904 and bloody 1913-1914 coal miners' strikes. Another display shows the
opposite side of the labor force with a complete office once belonging to the owner of a coal mining company.
From: www.southerncolorado.info/attraction.php?id=79
Walsenburg Mining Museum
112 W. Fifth Street Walsenburg, CO 81089
719 738-1992
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Westcliffe
The Westcliffe Calaboose
Photo from: www.custercountyco.com/westcliffe.htm
The Calaboose (behind the Jones Theater) is how the old town records refer to the town's original jail. Built in 1888 at a cost of $330 it
is made of local (native) stone which provided a cool, dry resting place for many a cowboy who whooped it up on "Dutch Row". The roof
was constructed of two-by-tens set side by side on edge and secured with square nails. This deterred escapes through the roof. Its two
small cells do not quite meet today's standards for a correctional facility. A small wood stove sat in the entryway for heat. One night in
the 1920's , the calaboose held nine men. The Marshall at that time said that he rarely had repeaters, which he attributed to less than
comfortable conditions. In 1985 a false roof was constructed over the remaining two by tens to protect the integrity of the building. The
building is on the National Register of Historical Places.
www.custercountyco.com/westcliffe.htm
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