This prison was home to many horrific events during the gold rush of the 1800s. The prison received its first inmate in 1871.
In 1959, a riot broke out when 2 inmates led 12 other inmates in an attempted escape. One warden was shot and killed while another was held hostage–for 3 days, and the riot kept on raging. The riot ended when the National Guard came in. The prison closed its doors in 1979, but the spirits still remain within the prison walls.
Reports of coldness, sounds and dark shadows are said to exist within the prison grounds, of which you can tour today.