In 1888, Wyoming's legislature appropriated funds to build a prison at Rawlins, Wyoming. Thirteen years later, on December 12, 1901, the first prisoners were transported from Laramie to their new home. Using news articles, governmental records, recollections of ex-employees, and his own experiences, the author takes the reader through the difficult period of prison occupancy, the eras of industry and agriculture, the use of prisoner work crews, and the era of rehabilitation programs. Included in the narrative are chilling accounts of Wyoming's executions and a selection of prison tales. Management of the prison changed to meet the needs of the state, while national trends to improve prisoner treatment stirred reformists both within and external to the prison. Wyoming's prisoners wee hungry for change.