June 27, 2026

Cripple Creek Jail

The Teller County Jail in Cripple Creek, Colorado, was constructed in 1901 at the cost of $25,000 by the Pauly Jail Building Company of Saint Louis, Missouri. Equipped with indoor plumbing and electricity, it was considered one of the most modern and sanitary facilities of its time. It could house 100 inmates and had separate accommodations for men, women and children. The women’s section was upstairs and was generally nicer than the men’s, with a private bathroom featuring a bathtub. The men’s section was a double-decker steel cage in the center of the building, the top of which was solitary confinement. Notable among the former inhabitants here was famous boxer Jack Dempsey who worked in the mining camps in the area and later became the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926.

The jail closed in 1992 and was vacant until 2007 after which it was turned into a museum.