About
For an immersive history lesson, one with intrigue and dark tales, add the Old Idaho Penitentiary Site to your Boise itinerary.
Construction of the prison began on July 4, 1870, beside a nearby sandstone quarry. Inmates cut out the stone, hauled it down on horse-drawn wagons, and built much of what stands today. Interestingly, the first 11 prisoners arrived in May 1872 and were contained only by a wooden fence.
When Idaho became a state in 1890, prisoners built a 17-foot sandstone wall around the complex. More cell houses, a dining hall, and a solitary confinement building followed. By the 1950s, the site added a large cell house for 360 prisoners and a maximum-security building for the most dangerous residents.
Prison life was tough, with cells freezing in winter and stifling in summer and prisoners sleeping on straw-stuffed mattresses. During the day, prisoners grew food, raised animals, and made shirts and shoes. Such conditions provoked five separate riots across the prison's history. Additionally, there were over 500 escape attempts and with about 90 prisoners making their getaway good.
The Old Pen also held some of the West's most talked-about criminals. Harry Orchard confessed to killing more than 17 people and became a central figure in a headline-grabbing murder trial. Lyda Southard was the site's most infamous female resident, while Henry "Bob" Meeks, tied to Butch Cassidy's gang, once leaped from a cell house roof with a single leg.
Its proximity to other attractions, like the Idaho Botanical Garden, makes visiting multiple sights in a day doable. When your group gets hungry, Boise’s top restaurants are only a 15- 20-minute drive away. Whether you opt for Spanish-American fare at Barbacoa Grill, Italian at ÀLAVITA, or farm-to-table entrees at Fork, there’s a menu and budget suitable for any vacationer.
The prison closed in 1973, but thankfully, Idaho chose to preserve the buildings, making them historic landmarks for future generations to explore.
Old Idaho Penitentiary Site: Fun Facts & Cool Features
As we alluded to at the start, the prison comes with some dark tales that have intrigued paranormal fans. Several ghost-hunting teams have investigated the grounds, including the crew from the Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures, Haunted Towns, and Destination Fear. While the staff makes no official claims, there have been plenty of reports of strange sounds, cold spots, and odd sensations. Schedule a visit and decide for yourself!
Whether you believe in ghost stories or not, the Gallows and Siberia room will nonetheless make your skin crawl. The Gallows Room in the maximum-security cell house was the site of one execution, that of Raymond Snowden on October 18, 1957. The other 9 executions took place in what is now the Rose Garden. The Siberia Room is the solitary confinement cell, where prisoners face isolation as punishment.
Okay, so that's a lot, but fear not! Some stories are sentimental, like the one about a black cat named Dennis, born at the prison chicken farm in 1951. Prisoners cared for him, fed him, and gave him a good life until he died in 1968. You can find his grave with a tombstone behind the old shirt factory building.
You’ll also get to peruse the J. Curtis Earl Memorial Exhibit, one of the nation’s largest collections of historic arms and military memorabilia.
A trip to the Old Idaho Penitentiary offers you and your family a surreal history lesson. It mixes education, mystery, and a genuine sense of place that photos cannot capture.
Local Tips
- Check out the gifts and souvenirs in the Confinement store.
- Book guided tours on-site at the front desk, since reservations are not available online.
- Visit the nearby Idaho State Archives for records on prisoners and employees, as well as historical images.
- Check online for events like Wine, Eats, & Artifacts, an evening of food, wine, and auctions.
