Stop 19 Rawlins, WY (Hell on Wheels)

Rawlins is another spot that we picked because it was in the right place on the map. We have 600 miles to cover between Estes Park and West Yellowstone. Rawlins is 200 miles along that route. Our next stop, Dubois, WY, is 200 miles further along.

To be honest, we didn't know what we were going to do with ourselves here. On first impression, it's a flat, windy, railroad town. The major employers are the state prison and the oil refinery in the next town over. Sinclair is the home of the Sinclair oil refinery, the "most modern oil refinery in the world" (it still stinks so we're guessing that "modern" must mean that it's computerized and labor efficient).

After looking at the options, we decided to visit the Fort Fred Steele Historical Site, the Carbon County Museum and the Old Frontier Prison (the first Wyoming State Prison).

We were very surprised at the Fort Fred Steele Historical Site. We enjoy a show (now cancelled) called Hell on Wheels. It's about the building of the transcontinental railroad and the title refers to the moving tent city that follows the building of the railroad. We were kind of surprised to find ourselves in the middle of it. Many of the names on plaques are the names of characters in the series. This first couple of pictures illustrate some of the story.

From the Carbon County Museum.

From the Carbon County Museum. We were please to actually see a reference to Hell on Wheels.

Map of the Fort Fred Steele Historical Site.

The bridge tender's house. The wooden bridge over the North Platte River was a weak point and vulnerable to sparks from the trains. Someone had to keep an eye on things.

The newer, less likely to burn, bridge.

The North Platte River.

The actual Fort is pretty much a forest of chimneys.

Chimneys from the officers quarters and the old schoolhouse.

The powder magazine (a long way from the fort).

We spotted this pronghorn antelope at  the Fort Fred Steele Historic Site. A second later, it went over the fence like it was nothing.

After grabbing some lunch, we visited the Carbon County Museum. Like many small museums, it was pretty interesting. We were surprised at an entire room about Thomas Edison inventions. One of the curators had been particularly chatty when we came in and we found him again to ask why.

Apparently, Edison invented a device that he thought would allow him to determine the temperature of the sun but it had to be used during a total eclipse. Rawlins was at ground zero during one such eclipse and Edison and a large team showed up to test the device. The device didn't work but a tenuous relationship with Rawlins was established. While we had the curator's attention he seemed very eager to show us how the various Edison inventions worked.

Our last stop was the Old Frontier Prison.

Exterior of the Old Frontier Prison.

AKA, the old Wyoming State Penitentiary.

Americas most wanted.

They referred to this side of cell block A as the dark side. The cold side might have been another good name.

The dining hall.

This gargoyle overlooked the solitary confinement cells.

The exercise yard for the maximum security prisoners. They had cells for 36 maximum security prisoners. They were supposed to get an hour per day in the yard and only one was allowed in the yard at a time. Must have been a genius who figured that schedule out.

Death row. Apparently, appeal laws were quite different when this prison was open. The average stay on death row was very short.

The old gallows. That square in the floor was a hatch that dropped away. Only a door separates this from the death row cells.

The gas chamber. Again, only a door separates this from the death row cells.

Maximum security.

Tomorrow, we're off to Dubois, WY.

Addendum: I did mean to mention that during out time in the death row, gallows, gas chamber area, a thunder/lightening storm decided to strike. If it wasn't a little bit spooky already, that certainly helped.

-JC-