MFI drafted a rough travel plan after we entered Canada in July. Her plan identified tentative stops between Winnipeg and Santa Fe. I never questioned any of her choices until we approached Wyoming in late August. She explained, “I want to take you to see the prison in Laramie.” Years ago, she had done an historic-housing project at F.E. Warren AFB, and during that time had visited the prison. OK, sounded good to me!

We haven’t made a habit of staying in military FamCamps (Family Campgrounds); however, when they appear to be convenient, we give them a shot. The price is also always right. Such was the case in Cheyenne, where we camped at Crow Creek FamCamp on F. E. Warren Air Force Base. The military has been here for over 160 years, beginning with an Army infantry and calvary post (later named Fort Russell) established by the Railroad Act of 1862. The post was created to protect Union Pacific Railroad workers from “hostile indians.”

Today the base is home to the 90th Missile Wing, one of three U.S. strategic inter-continental ballistic missile bases. Minuteman III missiles currently stand alert in 150 underground, hardened silos dispersed across an area of 8,300 square miles in Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado.

We took a day trip 60 miles west on I-80 to visit the historic territorial prison in Laramie, but made three stops along the way. The first was to see the “Tree in the Rock” historic site. This attraction was located on the I-80 median near Buford, WY. History states that workers for the transcontinental railroad, upon seeing this lone Limber Pine growing from between two boulders, jogged the tracks to be close enough so Union Pacific employees could protect the tree by watering it. The tracks were subsequently relocated further south, but I-80 was constructed along the former railroad route. The age of the tree is unknown, although the species reportedly can live as long as 2,000 years. If for no other reason, the tree is remarkable because there are no others visible for miles.

The second stop was to see the Ames Monument located about 20 miles east of Laramie and a bone-shattering, teeth-rattling 3-mile drive on a dirt road south from the I-80 exit. The monument was a four-sided, random ashlar pyramid, 60 feet square at the base and 60 feet high, constructed of light-colored native granite. The monument was built to honor the Ames brothers, Oakes and Oliver Jr., two Union Pacific Railroad financiers. It was designed by American architect H. H. Richardson and included two 9 feet tall bas-relief portraits of the brothers, sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The monument was sited at 8,247 feet, the highest point of the original trans-continental railroad. Oliver served as President of the Union Pacific Railroad for 5 years until 1871; while Oakes, a U. S. Representative for Massachusetts, asserted near-total control over monument construction. Interestingly, Oakes was investigated and implicated in fraudulent railroad financing. He was subsequently censured by The Congress, resigned his seat in 1873, and died shortly thereafter. Like the “Tree in the Rock,” we found the Ames Monument out in the middle of nowhere. Had we not seen signage along I-80, we would have missed both attractions .

Our third stop was the I-80 Summit Rest Area and Visitor Center to see the Lincoln Monument. This monument consists of a 12.5 feet tall bronze bust of Lincoln sitting atop a 30 feet tall granite pedestal. The monument was initially dedicated by the Wyoming Parks Commission in 1959 at nearby Sherman Hill where it overlooked the original Lincoln Highway, US 30. It was moved to the Summit Rest Area in 1969 after I-80 (the new Lincoln Highway) was completed. The bust was created by American sculptor, Robert Russin. There was a small museum in the Visitor Center highlighting the history of the Lincoln Highway and the popularity of taking a family vacation in the family car. US 30 was completed in 1913 and was the first transcontinental highway built specifically for cars, and it extended 3,389 miles from New York’s Times Square to Lincoln Park in San Francisco.

We arrived in Laramie at lunch time, so I Googled coffee shops. We ended up at “The Grounds Internet & Coffee Lounge” for some local brew and a bit of lunch before heading to the historic prison. I must say that the name Laramie certainly evoked a genuine cowboy western feeling. The town sits on the eastern side of a wide valley between the Laramie Mountain and the Medicine Bow Mountain ranges. Snow was still visible atop Medicine Bow Peak at 12,018 feet. The town of Medicine Bow (population 245) was only 57 miles northeast of Laramie. I mention it only because grandpa Brian Bunner used to speak of his siblings that lived there. This was a part of the family I never got to know personally.

The Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site was only 4 minutes from downtown. We were the second car in the parking lot. We did a self-guided tour after purchasing our tickets in the Gift Shop and Entrance to the prison grounds. First stop was the warden’s home, which was built by prisoners three years after the prison opened.

The original prison building was built in 1872 and began incarcerating prisoners less than a year later. It was reported to have troubles early with a fire in 1873 and 11 successful jailbreaks during the first two years. The initial capacity was 84 criminals doubled up in 42 cells, and the prison became overcrowded in only 4 years. As its reputation worsened; however, fewer criminals were sent there, and those that were came with light sentences. During the 1880s, the prison was seriously under capacity, the lowest level reaching only 3 prisoners. Yet, in 1889, a second, more modern cell block was constructed, increasing capacity to 150 prisoners and adding a central kitchen, a dining hall/meeting room, guards’ rooms, and steam heat. The addition also included at least five cells for female criminals and several configured for solitary confinement. After Wyoming became a state in 1890, the facility became state owned and operated. When a new state prison was built in Rawlins, the old one became obsolete, and prisoners were transferred to Rawlins in 1901. The old prison changed hands and serverd different purposes over the next century before becoming a State Historic Site only as recently as 2004.

We approached the prison from the southeast on a gorgeous day. There were two buildings surrounded by a 12 feet tall stockade with guard towers. The larger was the prison, and the second was a prisoner work training and production facility.

Just inside the entrance was a teller window configuration where prisoner transfer and registration occurred. Across the hall was a room in which heads were closely shaved and prisoners received their uniforms, bedroll, and cell kit. As we walked through various common areas, we got the overall impression that conditions didn’t look that bad. The facility was clean, and except for the cell sizes, almost spacious. There was a room equipped for fitness off of the dining/meeeting hall and another along the south end set up for complete dental care (neither pictured).

When MFI first visited decades ago, she saw a display depicting hard labor. It was a pile of broken rocks in the center of the courtyard between the two buildings. This was gone when we toured, and there was nothing mentioned about hard labor for prisoners. The focus now was on how prisoners were trained to make products, which were sold to earn money and offset prison operating costs. An effort was made to capitalize on a prisoners individual skills, so they could feel useful and do something positive as part of their rehabilitation. For example, some prisoners were talented carpenters who produced incredibly beautiful furniture, while others were trained to operate machines, and still others were trained to repair and maintain those machines, all based on their capabilities. The primary products made were multiple styles of brooms, a critical home implement in the old west. Who knew?

What I enjoyed most about the prison were the black and white photos of prisoners hung on the walls along with a narrative of their crime, and in a few cases, an explanation of their rehabilitation and post-sentence success. To a photo, the prisoners all had wild eyes looking out from a weirdly expressive face. Most had been convicted of some form of thievery, be it money or livestock. Those with more serious crimes had wounded or killed someone. I noted that in general the sentences seemed more lenient than expected, although murder usually received a life sentence. Women clearly received lesser sentences for the same crimes committed by a man, such as , 20 years for murder.

When we stop for three nights, that of course gives us two full days to entertain ourselves. I hiked each morning before we had breakfast. We had laundry to do, and as luck had it, the park facility despite being small was clean, affordable, and convenient. We took advantage of the Base Commissary and Exchange and drove around town while running errands and pursuing coffee; however, aside from our day trip to Laramie, the stop was uneventful.