Cripple Creek Jail
This former Cripple Creek lockup is now known for its museum exhibits and mysterious hauntings
This location is also referred to as Outlaws & Law Men Jail Museum
Ghost Stories of
Cripple Creek Jail
- Shadows have been seen going into and out of individual cells
- Heavy footsteps have been frequently heard patrolling the cellblock
- The ghost of a lead jailer, Rosie, is seen and heard in the old overnight watch sleeping room
- The silhouette of a male guard is sometimes spotted glaring at people outside through the jail's windows
- A cold spot is regularly encountered on the cellblock catwalk
Outlaws & Lawmen:
History of Cripple Creek Jail
In the gold rush town of Cripple Creek, Colorado, sits a building that looks a lot like every other in the century-old mining boomtown.
At least it would, if there weren’t heavy iron bars over every window.
The Outlaws & Lawmen Jail Museum, with its original cells intact, is just one of many living pieces of Cripple Creek history.
But, not every aspect of this jailhouse museum is still alive. Visitors and workers both will tell you that the museum still houses spiritual security guards and paranormal prisoners alike.
Timeline of Cripple Creek Jail's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Cripple Creek Jail through the years
1890
It’s not often a whole town appears overnight, but such is the story of Cripple Creek, Colorado. In 1890, prospector Robert Womack struck a rich gold ore that soon drew throngs of people to the area. This, coupled with the discovery of the Independence lode shortly after, brought a population boom of about 10,000 people to the town of Cripple Creek. But, as with many other boomtowns, not everyone who came to Cripple Creek had good intentions.
1896
The first jailhouse in Cripple Creek was a simple wooden structure capable of holding a small handful of vagrants and vandals. That jail, along with much of early Cripple Creek, didn’t last long. On April 25th, 1896, a fire tore through town, turning half of the community to ash before it was contained. Just four days later, a second fire burned down the other half of Cripple Creek. From the town’s ashes, citizens built a new, more fireproof city with many brick buildings. One of these handsome brick structures was the town’s replacement jail.
1901
As settlements around Cripple Creek grew, the rebuilt brick jail proved too small to contain local crime. In 1901, the new, two-story brick form of Teller County Jail rose up. At the time, the jail was state-of-the-art, including a single shower, hammock beds, and one chamber pot for each of the fourteen cells. While each of the cells held as many as six prisoners at a time, the new lock up was still lauded as one of the most sanitary jail facilities in Colorado’s mining region.
1996
Cripple Creek’s new jail proved so effective, police used it until the 1990s. A new jail opened in 1992, but the old building stayed in use as overflow until 1996. After that, the jailhouse sat quiet before being restored and reopened in 2007 as the Outlaws & Lawmen Jail Museum. Still serving as a museum today, countless tourists stop in each year to learn about life for law enforcement and criminals in an old boomtown. But while the jail proudly shows off its past, specters from its history may still linger inside.
Is Cripple Creek Jail Haunted?
Along with the artifacts and mannequin prisoners to see, many tourists report encountering paranormal reminders of the building’s past.
Perhaps most interestingly, those who have ghostly encounters at the jail museum note the presences of both prisoners and guards.
In fact, the most well-known report of activity around the main cellblock is the sound of heavy footsteps. And these footsteps seem to follow a defined pattern. They wrap around the lower floor, go slowly up the stairs, dissipate for a short while, and then loudly descend the steps again.
People who hear them say the footsteps sound like those of a guard doing their daily rounds, despite no prisoners to look after.
Find Rosie’s Ghost Patrolling
Another watchful spirit is a female guard named Rosie. Rosie is most often encountered around the former sleeping area for overnight guards, where footsteps are also heard and the figure of a woman is sometimes spotted. Those who encounter Rosie say they get the feeling that she is still watching over her prisoners, always on guard.
Both workers and tourists also claim to see the face of a stern male guard staring at them through the front windows of the museum. This activity is even said to occur in the middle of the night, long after the museum’s closing time.
A Cellblock Full of Phantoms
Going along with all of the spiritual guards are reports of ghostly prisoners as well. Those touring the cellblock often say they see dark masses of shadows shifting in and out of cells, only to investigate and find nothing there.
On the second floor catwalk of the cellblock, tourists frequently stumble upon a mysterious cold spot.
Supposedly, a prisoner was once pushed off the catwalk and died. Now, his spirit lingers in the spot where he was shoved to his death.
Along with the shadows and cold spots, the large door that separates the cellblock from the museum gift shop is known to swing open without explanation. It’s as if the prisoners’ ghosts are all suddenly trying to make a run for it.
Cripple Creek’s Creepy Jail
Regardless of one’s belief in hauntings, the paranormal legends certainly add to the allure and intrigue around the old Cripple Creek jailhouse.
And the mystery and history of the Outlaws & Lawmen Jail Museum is likely to keep growing, even over 120 years after the building was first constructed.
The purpose of Cripple Creek’s old jail has changed a lot since the heavy, secure doors first opened to the Colorado community.
But one thing seems to have stayed the same: The jail has no shortage of either outlaws or lawmen, as long as you count the ghosts of them.
