Wender·Vista
Wyoming Territorial Prison Laramie
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileWyoming
on the west side of Laramie, along the Laramie River

Wyoming Territorial Prison Laramie

— sandstone walls that held Butch Cassidy.

Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
a note from the studio

The Wyoming Territorial Prison stands on the west side of Laramie, sandstone walls along the Laramie River where the high plains start to rise. It opened in 1872, before Wyoming was a state, and held federal and territorial prisoners for thirty-one years — Butch Cassidy among them, from 1894 to 1896. The site is preserved now as a Wyoming State Historic Site, the cellblocks restored to their working years. — from the studio

from the studio
Wyoming Territorial Prison Laramie
— bring it home

Wyoming Territorial Prison Laramie, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

about Wyoming Territorial Prison Laramie

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
the place

The Wyoming Territorial Prison sits on the west side of Laramie, on a low rise above the Laramie River. It was authorized by Congress in 1869 and opened in 1872 as a federal prison for the Wyoming Territory, eighteen years before statehood. The site is now operated by Wyoming State Parks as the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site, with the restored cellblocks, the warden's house, and a broom factory open to the public from May through September.

the stone

The original cellblock is built of local sandstone, two stories under a pitched roof, walls thick enough to hold the high-plains winter out and the inmate population in. A second cellblock and the women's quarters were added in 1889. The prison held just over a thousand inmates over its working life, including Butch Cassidy, who served from July 1894 until pardoned in January 1896. The federal government turned the property over to the state in 1903.

the visit

The site is open seasonally, generally from May through September, with shorter hours in the shoulder weeks. Admission is charged. The cellblocks are interpreted to the prison's working years, with original ironwork, restored cells, and the broom factory where inmates produced brooms under contract. The grounds also hold a frontier-town interpretive area. Laramie itself sits at 7,165 feet, on Interstate 80 between Cheyenne and Rawlins.

where
United States · Laramie, Albany County, Wyoming
within
Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site
position
41.3145° N · 105.6027° W
the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
2 km E
University of Wyoming
university campus
1.5 km E
Downtown Laramie
historic downtown
50 km W
Snowy Range
mountain range
N
Wyoming Territorial Prison Laramie
University of Wyoming
Downtown Laramie
Snowy Range
common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Wyoming Territorial Prison Laramie — and about bringing the piece home.
about the place

On the west side of Laramie, Wyoming, along the Laramie River. The site is now the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site and is operated by Wyoming State Parks.

It was authorized by Congress in 1869 and opened in 1872 as the federal prison for the Wyoming Territory, eighteen years before Wyoming became a state in 1890.

Yes. Butch Cassidy, then Robert LeRoy Parker, was incarcerated at the Territorial Prison from July 1894 until January 1896, when he was pardoned by Governor William Alford Richards.

About thirty-one years. It held federal and territorial inmates from 1872 until 1903, when the federal government transferred the property to the state of Wyoming.

Yes. The site is open seasonally, generally from May through September, with admission charged. The cellblocks, the warden's house, and the broom factory are interpreted to the working years of the prison.

Just over a thousand inmates passed through during the prison's working life. A second cellblock and women's quarters were added in 1889 as the population grew.

about the piece in your home

It carries well for that recipient. The Territorial Prison is one of the defining buildings on the west side of town. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio reads as recognition.

Western-modern interiors, paneled studies, and rooms with warm neutrals. The sandstone-and-iron palette also sits well inside Mountain-modern offices that already use leather, walnut, and aged metal.

Yes. The current direction in interiors favors specific, named landmarks with a real story over generic Western imagery. A piece tied to the Territorial Prison reads as informed rather than decorative.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large or a four-tile Mural holds the wall. Above a console, the Medium is usually right. For a study or stair landing, a nine-tile Mural carries.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and rated for vertical installation in showers and backsplashes. The colour will not lift with household cleaning.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, beneath a thin glossy finish, so household cleaning does not affect it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio and is not licensed from any third party. Reid Wender is the curator and chooses every place that enters the atlas.

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