There is always one must-see attraction on my Boise tour whenever a family or friend comes to visit for the first time. The Old Idaho Penitentiary has something that will intrigue the most diverse group of visitors. History? Check. Ghosts? Check. Beautiful surrounding scenery? Check. 

Here is what you need to know before visiting the Old Idaho Penitentiary. 

Quick Links

History | Famous Inmates | Ghost Stories | Cost | Hours | Quick Facts |

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Old Idaho Penitentiary History

Let’s start at the beginning of the story in 1870. To do this, imagine stepping back into the wild west, a time before Idaho was a state. The promise of gold brought settlers west to the foothills of the Idaho Territory. With fortunes up for grabs, there were those looking to strike it rich without the back-breaking labor of mining. Those individuals handed in pickaxes for pistols. Idaho became a lawless territory full of violence and crime. But that would change with the final blow to the golden spike connecting the East and West with the first transcontinental railroad.  

The government was cracking down on outlaws as they set their sites on a civilized western society. No longer would disputes be settled by high noon gunfights. 

Boise was assigned just one officer of the law to patrol the area. The new marshal had the task of building the areas first prison. He wasted no time. With swift justice, he began taking down outlaws and forcing them to build their own cells. The structure they created became the Old Idaho Penitentiary.  

In the prisons 101-year span of holding inmates, it would be home to bandits, thieves, assassins, and cold-blooded killers. 

To learn more about the stories of some of the more famous inmates, the Old Pen offers several different types of tours and is continuously adding more. These tours are free with admission.

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Famous Inmates

The world has forgotten most of the inmates that resided inside the Old Pen’s stone walls. But while it was operational, some infamous outlaws caused a commotion throughout Idaho and the nation.

Henry ‘Bob’ Meeks –  A member of Butch Cassidy’s gang, he was arrested for bank robbery.

Harry Orchard – Hired assassin with a kill count of 17. One of those hits was a former governor of Idaho.

Lyda Southard – Convicted for murdering her 4th husband. It is unproven but suspected that she also had poisoned her previous three husbands, a brother-in-law, and her child.

Ramond Snowden – See below 

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Old Idaho Penitentiary Ghost Stories

The prison was shut down in the 1970s, but rumor has it there are still inmates roaming the cell blocks. The Old Pen had a long history of violence and death. One hundred twenty-nine people died within the walls of the prison, including ten executions. Those touring the jail have reported countless paranormal sightings.  The supernatural activity warranted a visit from the travel channel series “Ghost Adventures” (Season 1 Episode 8).  

The most wicked spirit that haunts the Old Idaho Penitentiary is Raymond Allen Snowden, otherwise known as Idaho’s “Jack the Ripper.” In 1873, Snowden stabbed his date for the evening 35 times with a pocketknife during an alcohol-fueled fight. Snowden received the death penalty and would hang for the murder. But things did not go as planned during the execution. His death sentence would be the first to take place inside the new gallows room. (All the previous hangings took place in a spot where the Rose Garden now sits). Something went horribly wrong when the executioner pulled the lever dropping Snowden into the room below. His neck did not snap as it should have, and he spent the next 15 minutes being strangled to death by the rope. It is believed his ghost still haunts this area of the prison looking for retribution for the botched hanging. 

On specific tours, you can enter the execution room. I can say from experience the feeling of being in that room is strange and quite unnerving.

For another haunted prison check out this one we visited in Charleston, South Carolina

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How much does the Old Idaho Penitentiary Cost?

 Admission is $6 per person. If you have a student ID or AAA Card you can get a dollar off that price (whoa, a whole dollar?! Yeah, you read that right big spender)

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Old Idaho Penitentiary Hours

The Old Pen is open seven days a week (except for holidays.) 

Hours:

• Summer Hours (Memorial Day-Labor Day) 10am-5pm
• Regular hours (fall, winter, and spring) Noon-5pm 

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Quick Facts

• Housed prisoners from 1872 to December 1973.
• There were over 500 escape attempts. 90 escapees were successful.
• Through the course of its life, the prison received more than 13,000 inmates.