Entry No. 14 — the Pueblo file — filed under: haunted
Museum of Colorado Prisons
“Stand still and you can hear the active yard next door.”
The 1935 women’s cellhouse shares a stone wall and gun towers with Old Max, the Territorial prison running next door since 1871 — stand still and you can hear the active yard. Out on the grounds sits Colorado’s gas chamber, last used on Luis Monge in 1967, the final execution in America before the decade-long national pause. Inside, 32 cells hold Alferd Packer’s story, a flogging horse called the Old Gray Mare, and Cell 19, where staff and visitors keep hearing coughing from an empty cell.
The story
You are standing inside a 1935 women's cellhouse, but the stone wall behind you isn't just history—it's the active boundary of Old Max, the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility operating continuously right next door since 1871. Stand still in the cellblock long enough and you won't just be looking at prison history; you will hear the muffled chatter and clatter from the active prison yard filtering straight through the masonry.
The 32 converted cells hold unvarnished artifacts from state penology: records from infamous cannibal Alferd Packer, a heavy wooden flogging horse known as the 'Old Gray Mare,' and out on the grounds, Colorado's actual decommissioned gas chamber. That steel sphere sealed the fate of Luis Monge in 1967—the final legal execution carried out in the United States before the national ten-year pause on capital punishment. Then there is Cell 19, an empty lockup where staff and visitors routinely report hearing a persistent phantom cough echoing from inside.
What it's like
Pull into the free lot off US-50 at the west edge of Cañon City, but leave your camera in your pocket until you're through the museum doors—aiming a lens at the active guard towers next door will bring fast attention from prison security. Inside, the self-guided route takes you through cold, narrow corridors where cell doors open into distinct historic displays. The vibe is stark, quiet, and cold, especially outside around the gas chamber. If you want to sit inside Cell 19 with the lights killed, book one of the staff-run paranormal investigation nights well in advance—especially in October—and check winter schedules before driving out, as off-season open days drop.
The move: Book a staff-run paranormal night, draw straws for who sits alone in Cell 19 with the lights off, and compare audio recordings on the drive home.
📍 Before you go It’s the stone building off US-50 at the west edge of Cañon City, hard against the wall of the still-active Territorial prison — use the free lot out front and skip photographing the working facility next door. The museum itself is self-guided through 32 converted cells; the off-season schedule drops to fewer days, so confirm before driving over in winter. Staff-run paranormal investigation nights book out in advance, especially around October. Pair it with Skyline Drive five minutes west, the one-lane ridge road inmates from this same prison built in the early 1900s.
- 📍 Cañon City
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 201 N 1st St, Cañon City, CO 81212
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Skyline Drive — Inmates from this exact facility hand-carved this razorback ridge road in 1905, earning ten days off their sentences for every thirty days spent breaking rock.
- Skyline Drive Dinosaur Tracks — Drive the ridge road built by prison labor and pull over along the rock wall to see fossilized dinosaur footprints stamped into the stone.
- Owl Cigar Store — Head into downtown Cañon City afterward to grab lunch at a counter that has been operating since 1903.
Good to know
Can I take photos of the facility next door?
No. The museum shares a perimeter with Old Max, an active working state prison, and photographing its security perimeter, active yard, or guard towers is strictly forbidden.
Why is the gas chamber on the grounds significant?
It was Colorado's capital punishment chamber, last used in 1967 to execute Luis Monge—which turned out to be the final execution in America before the ten-year national moratorium took effect.
What is the phenomenon in Cell 19?
Cell 19 is one of the original 1935 cells where visitors and staff consistently report hearing unexplained coughing coming from an empty, locked space.
When are the paranormal investigation nights held?
Staff run after-hours investigation nights periodically throughout the year; they require advance booking and tend to sell out quickly, particularly around October.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Roadside America · Wikipedia · cohauntedhouses.com
last checked: 2026-06-11