OVER THE WALL IN WYOMING

The cornerstone for Wyoming’s first state prison was laid in Rawlins in 1888, a full two years before the territory gained statehood. But given the often inclement weather, funding issues and government bureaucracy (some things never change), the facility didn’t open its cell doors until 1901. The Wyoming Territorial Prison in Cheyenne had operated as a federal penitentiary from 1872 to 1890, then as the state prison till 1901, when its prisoners were transferred to Rawlins.

The new prison comprised 104 cells, each with a 5-by-7-foot bunk