Nevada State Prison & Cemetery

Going to prison may not sound fun… unless you are touring a historical 160-year-old facility. The Nevada State Prison was the first possession owned by the soon-to-be 36th state in the union. When the facility closed in 2012, it was one of the oldest operating facilities.

The prison is full of unique history, including a quarry that built much of Carson City, a mutiny by the Lt. Governor, the first execution by gas chamber in the United States, a movie star, and a pre-historic sloth. And what would anything in Nevada be without a casino?

Swanky accommodations

Following the creation of the Nevada Territory in 1862, one of the first orders of business of the Nevada Territorial Legislature was to create a prison. The original cells were pretty plush; they were rooms at the Warm Springs Hotel, owned by Abraham Curry.

The Warm Springs Hotel was known for its bar, serving the “purist and the best” liquor. It was popular with guards getting off duty.

Nevada acquired the hotel and the adjacent twenty acres two years later for $80,000. Curry was named as the prison warden. The property included a quarry with prisoners providing the labor. Stone from the quarry built much of Carson City, including the Nevada State Capitol and the Nevada State Mint.

On May 1, 1867, a fire destroyed the original structure and records; a second fire in 1870 destroyed the prison.

Nevada State Prison

Nevada State Prison was built from stone quarried onsite, with prisoner labor. When Nevada became a state in 1864, the state constitution named the Lt. Governor as the ex-officio warden, with the Governor, Secretary of State and Attorney General as the prison board.

The high-security prison was designed to house 841 inmates with a staff of 211. The prison was the sole designated facility in Nevada for executions.

Due to budgetary reasons, the prison was closed on May 18, 2012. Nevada State Prison Preservation Society worked to preserve this piece of Nevada history and open it for tours. While it is interesting to tour the prison facility, it is the stories that make this a one-of-a-kind experience.

Jailbreak & Convict Lake

On September 17, 1871, twenty-seven inmates escaped from the prison. They had been convicted of murder, horse thievery and train robbery. The escaped gang attacked the Captain of the Guard, who was locking them in their cells. They broke into the armory and acquired guns, shooting Warden Denver and others. Two were killed in the escape.

Most prisoners were recaptured, some as far as Silver Peak in Esmerelda County. Two escapees were captured and hanged by a posse.

One group headed south into Mono County, California. Charlie Jones, a convicted murderer, led the group. Billy Poor, a mail rider on his first day of work, ran into the group at Monte Diablo Creek. Worried Poor would report their location, the convicts murdered him, taking his clothing and mount. Outraged, locals formed a posse. The final standoff was at Monte Diablo Lake. Jones was eventually recaptured and executed. Since the standoff, Monte Diablo Lake has been known as Convict Lake.

Munity in the prison

New legislation changed the appointment of the warden and in 1872, Pressly Hyman was appointed the new warden. Warden Denver, the Lt. Governor, refused to leave his post. He also refused to allow Governor Bradley or members of the prison board access to the prison. Denver said the guards would fire upon anyone who attempted to enter the prison, and if necessary, they would release and arm the prisoners to defend the prison.

Denver changed his mind… only after the militia was activated in March of 1873 with 60 soldiers and artillery.

The Bullpen Casino

Between 1932 and 1967, NSP operated the only known prison penal casino, nicknamed the Bullpen. Originally in a room carved into the quarry, in the 1930s, it was relocated to a sandstone building. Aside from the dress code, the casino operated like any other gaming operation. Games include poker, blackjack, and craps.

The casino was operated by inmates, including dealing and security. They created a currency of brass tokens ranging from 5c to $5. A percentage of the house winnings were allocated to the prisoner welfare fund.

For thirty-five years, wardens allowed the casino to operate. In 1967, the prison board closed the casino.

A movie star

Nevada State Prison was used as a set for nine movies between 1921 and 2019.

Recognize this actor?

Hint: “Live long and prosper.”

An Innocent Man starred Tom Selleck and was filmed and released in 1989. On filming breaks, Tom would play basketball with the inmates. The court deteriorated over the years. Knowing how important basketball was for the inmates, Selleck paid for the courts repaved.

One guard tower over the exercise yard is for show only. The movie producers thought the set looked unbalanced, so they built a false tower.

In the footprints of giants

While working at the quarry in the 1870s, inmates discovered gigantic fossilized footprints. Originally researchers believed the tracks were from giant humans. It was later determined the tracks were from a giant sloth and were 1.6 million years old.

Some tracks were moved to the Keck Museum on the University of Nevada Campus.

The Hole

The hole was dug before the 1880s. It was used for solitary confinement until 1961 and later to house the prison newspaper.

End of the Line

Between 1860 and 1921, hanging was the legal method for execution under Nevada law. The first recorded execution in Nevada was John Carr, who murdered Bernhard Cherry in Carson City. Only one woman was executed in Nevada, Elizabeth Potts. Elizabeth and her husband Josia were convicted of murdering and dismembering Miles Faucett.

Counties handled executions, but in 1903 all executions were transferred to the Nevada State Prison. In 1911, prisoners could choose between hanging or shooting. Only one prisoner, Andriza Mircovich, chose execution by shooting. The warden could not find five men to carry out the execution, so a shooting matching was designed.

In 1921, the gas chamber became the only method of execution. Gee Jon was the first person put to death in the United States by gas chamber. In the 55 years of use, 32 men were executed in the gas chamber. In 1985, lethal injection became the only method of execution in Nevada.

The prison didn’t have strong straps to hold inmates down, so they used car seat belts.

Nevada State Prison Cemetery

The cemetery is on a hill between the Nevada State Prison and the Warm Springs Correctional Facility.

The cemetery is for inmates who died while in prison, and their remains were not claimed. I found The oldest headstone in 1876, but many graves are unmarked. Headstones are from the prison quarry and engraved by inmates.

The cemetery is off-limits and not on the tour. Thank you to my guide for allowing me to document this cemetery.

WANT MORE GHOST TOWNS?

For information on more than five hundred ghost towns in Nevada & California, visit the Nevada Ghost Towns Map or a list of Nevada ghost towns.

Learn about how to visit ghost towns safely.

Nevada Ghost Towns Map

References

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References

• Nevada Magazine: The Nevada State Prison in Carson City has a hauntingly extensive history
• Nevada State Prison Preservation Society: Nevada State Prison
• Riddle, Jennifer E., Sena M. Loyd, Stacy L. Branham, and Curt Thomas. Images of America: Nevada State Prison. Arcadia Publishing, 2012.
• Wikipedia: Capitol Punishment in Nevada
• Wikipedia: Nevada State Prison

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