This may seem like sort of an odd entry for this blog, but it really should come as no surprise. The penitentiary is part of the judicial system, and therefore it has a place on a blog that's dedicated to judicial buildings.
This particular penitentiary is the old Wyoming State Penitentiary, the second penitentiary the state had. The first one was located in Laramie Wyoming in territorial days. That building is still there, and is used as a museum. When I went to the University of Wyoming, it was the sheep barn.
This one, the second penitentiary, is located in Rawlins Wyoming. It's also a museum, as it has been replaced by a new, more modern, penitentiary also located near Rawlins.
I don't know if court was ever held inside the penitentiary. I doubt it. But it does serve to remember that institutions like this are part of the judicial system.
