Warning: This is a LONG post, but well worth it!
We decided to do another in-between semester/new class family trip this last weekend. Cordell has been watching a lot of shows about prison and it reminded him of when he was a kid and his family took trips to the old state penitentiary in Idaho and in Wyoming. He talked to the kids about it and they were immediately excited to go and tour the old penitentiary in Boise. We left after Cordell took his final for his 4 week class (which he aced, by the way). It was a long but pretty fun drive. The kids did great as always in the car. Electronics help a ton :)
Connor really liked having the Garmin. It tells you how fast you are going. He would ask us what the speed limit was and then tell Cordell if he was speeding by 1-2 miles per hour. It was quite funny.
On the way we stopped in Twin Falls and drove around the temple. It is really pretty (but aren't all temples beautiful?)
We were outside of Boise when we saw an overhead sign that said "brush fire ahead, expect delays". The closer we got, we heard on the radio that traffic was backed up 8 miles due to the brush fire. We were so close, yet we were stopped on the interstate. I have no idea how long it took us to get past it, but it felt like quite awhile. By the time we passed it they had it all put out and were checking for hotspots.
We finally made it to Boise and found our hotel. The parking garage was made for only compact cars it seemed. We had parked and checked in and then decided to go eat dinner. It was a nightmare trying to get out of our spot. There was a truck parked next to us and there was no turning room. It took a lot of back and forth, but Cordell finally made it out and vowed to park on the top of the parking structure where there would be more room. So, we went and ate and then went back to our room and decided to go swimming. We were the only ones in the pool. The kids had a ton of fun. They had noodles for the kids to use. I thought that was great! The kids loved that too!
The next day was the big trip to the penitentiary. We had a lot of fun! Here are the pictures we took. The kids took a lot too. It is fun to see things from their perspective.
The first room you go in has this replica of what solitary confinement was like. As you can see, it is tiny!
These are some the weapons they got off the inmates.
Good old ball and chain
Old fashion ankle bracelet
The guards couldn't carry guns so they were given slap sticks and billy clubs.
This was the piano from the chapel in the prison.
This has some interesting stats on it. CRAZY!
Basketball court next to max security.
Kiley noticed this sign. As we were walking up the steps she barked out "line-up, single file". It was pretty funny. I didn't know she took a picture of it until I went through the pictures. Silly girl.
The kids thought that was sign was kind of mean, but hey it's prison, what do you expect?
They had a beautiful rose garden. We found out later that that is where they hung most of their death row inmates. What a beautiful place to die.
This is what they used to open all the cell doors.
Oh no! Isaac got in trouble and was thrown behind bars! He looks so angry!
They had to put their hand through that hole to get their handcuffs put on and taken off if they had to go places.
Connor was thrown in the cell for his silly face. Kiley's punishment was having to watch the silly face (ha! ha!)
Better watch out Isaac! Mom's coming to get you!
Oh no! She's getting you!
Nice comfy bed
A lot of the toilets had a padded seat. This one even had a padded backrest so they could have some place to sit besides their bed.
So close, yet so far.
This is what was called Siberia. They were for the inmates who were causing problems.
The only light they had was a hole in the ceiling. That was the only fresh air they got also.
The rain and snow would come in through that hole. During the summer it was miserably hot. During the winter they said that you could scrape frost off the walls.
These are pictures of where they did their laundry. It was a creepy room!
The next two pictures are creepy! After we can home Cordell showed us a ghost hunter video about the prison. They said an inmate was brutally murdered in this shower. We had no idea at the time, but it felt so creepy! Isaac took these pictures.
After the laundry room we toured the arms display they have there. There was a man that donated his collection of guns to the state of Idaho. It has all sorts of weapons in there. It is worth millions of dollars. I was reading about him and it mentioned he owned a gold mine. I guess when you have a gold mine you can afford to buy what ever your passion is.
This is a replica of a WW1 bunker. The soldiers would peak out and shoot their guns at the enemy. Scary!
Now we come to maximum security
These are more homemade weapons that were found on the inmates. They came up with some pretty imaginative ways to make weapons.
What would you use toothpaste for?
They did it again! They had to be locked behind bars!
Behind the cells was this walkway for the guards. The squares on the wall is where the mirror is at in the cells. We think the guards would go there and listen to the inmates. Sneaky guards.
Now for death row!
I didn't know it when I took this picture, but this is the cell of the only person that was hung in the gallows of the maximum security unit before they moved to the new prison. His name was Raymond Snowden. After that hanging the state of Idaho changed to lethal injection.
This is the drop room. The person is brought into the gallows and they have a hood placed over their head and then the noose is place around their neck. When the order is given they release the trap door and the inmate falls through. It is supposed to snap their neck, but something went wrong with Snowden. He hung there for 15-16 minutes suffocating to death. Not a fun way to die. There were 2 doctors in the drop room that had to watch him struggle for that long before they could pronounce him dead. That is probably why they got rid of hanging for the death penalty.
On our way out there was this mother duck with all her cute babies. It was fun to see something so cute and innocent in such a horrible place.
They had a women's ward that they had to build. They used to keep the men and women together, but one woman got pregnant and the warden made her have an abortion, which caused a lot of controversy. They converted the wardens house to the women's ward and then put the wall up around it. They had much better accommodations. They had windows in their cells that they could open and close. Their beds looked like bunk bed with a spring and a softer mattress.
After the prison we made our way home. We made a couple of stops along the way. We stopped at Malad Gorge. It was so pretty! It has the devil's washtub in it. The falls there were pretty.
Then we stopped in Twin Falls again and went to the big falls. They were gorgeous!
There was this cute little critter that was begging food from a family that was eating there.
We had such a fun trip! I love to spend time with my family. It is so fun to take spur of the moment trips. It was a lot of driving, but it was worth the memories.
