Denver Public Library Western History/Genealogy Digital Collections

- 1890's entertainment in prison by prisoners
- Prisoners at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, pose in pinstriped uniforms and white jackets, with spotted and striped silk ties.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Prisoners--Colorado--Canon City--1890-1900.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1890 and 1900?]
- 1929 Prison riot at Canon City
- Guards carrying rifles and wearing ammunition belts stand outside the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, during the 1929 riot. A man in the foreground holds a camera. Others stand around a camera on a tripod, by the one-story stone shop....
- Canon City (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Prison guards--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Prison riots--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1929
- A "turn-key" who worked in cell-houses
- Posing in his brass buttoned, double breasted uniform, this guard at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, has the letters: "C.S.P." on the band of his conductor's hat.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1880-1900.; Prison guards--Colorado--Canon City--1880-1900.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1880 and 1900?]
- A.H. Davis alias James Harris, Albert Davis and Albert Harvey.
- A. H. Davis, convict at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, poses for his mug shot (front and profile) with a shaved head and a jacket with wide, horizontal stripes, and number card: 14847. His crime was highway robbery.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Identification photographs--Colorado--Canon City--1920- 1930.; Prisoners--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Davis, A. H.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1930 and 1940?]
- Activity labelling
- Using a rubber stamp, this convict at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, applies numbers to pinstriped prison overalls identical to the ones he is wearing. A clipboard is on the table by his hand.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Interiors.; Prison laborers--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1937
- Activity machine shop
- Knitting machines at the State Penitentiary, in Canon City, Colorado, have spools of thread held above circular armatures. An inmate in pinstriped overalls operates a lever connected to a pulley and belt arrangement; tubes of white fabric fall into...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Interiors.; Machine shops--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Prison laborers--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1937
- Activity making stop signs
- A convict wearing a pinstriped shirt and pants takes an unpainted sign from a press at the State Penitentiary, in Canon City, Colorado. The sign and the die in the machine interior read: "Thru Stop."
- Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Interiors.; Prison laborers--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Traffic signs & signals--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1937
- Activity sewing
- Convicts in striped shirts at the State Penitentiary, in Canon City, Colorado, work at sewing machines. Pipes, electric lamps, and windows furnish the interior, and spools of thread are in the background.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Interiors.; Prison laborers--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Sewing machines--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1937
- Activity sheepherding
- Numbers are printed on the striped shirt of this inmate at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado. He crouches, wearing a straw hat and holding a lamb with a dark nose and legs.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Prisoners--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1937
- Activity weaving
- Convicts in striped shirts at the State Penitentiary, in Canon City, Colorado, work at a machine with rollers; it is producing thin, wet strips that are collected in a vat. Interior windows and electric lamps are in the background.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Interiors.; Prison laborers--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Weaving--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1937
- Administration building
- This two-story stone building at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, has arched, barred windows, bracketed eaves, and an ornate lookout tower on its roof. An incised panel over the door reads: "Colorado State Penitentiary," and a pole...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1890-1900.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1890 and 1900?]
- Administration building
- Men ride a horse-drawn wagon in the yard at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado. The stone Administration Building behind them has barred, arched windows on both floors, and a blind arch in the gable. Power poles, gazebo guard houses,...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Carriages & coaches--Colorado--Canon City--1890-1900.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1890-1900.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1890 and 1900?]
- Administration building after riot
- Smoke marks top the stone arched, barred windows of the administration building at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado. The blind arch in the gable of the two-story structure has the date: 1882, and is flanked by cast flourishes. An...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Fires--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Prison riots--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1929
- Administration building grounds
- Suited men lean on an urn topping the bannister at the entry of this stone building at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado. Vines cover part of the corner and downspout, and jigsawn balustrades edge the footbridge over the City Ditch. A...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1920 and 1930?]
- Aerial view of penitentiary after riot
- Fire gutted structures at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, include the administration building, its flanking cell blocks, and the license plate shop. The City Ditch winds through the prison complex, and prisoners mill in the sunken...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Fires--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Prison riots--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1929
- Aerial view of State Penitentiary
- Buildings, walls and guard towers at the State Penitentiary complex in Canon City, Colorado, are included in this aerial view. The City Ditch cuts through the wall by the West Gate, and goes underground by Cell Block #7. Structures have been...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1950-1960.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1950-1960.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1950 and 1960?]
- After the battle
- Convicts walk in the exercise yard at Colorado State Penitentiary in Canon City (Fremont County) Colorado, after a prison riot. A cell block is in the background.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Prisoners--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1929
- Albert Mortgareidge alias Albert Morganside, Ralph R. Orlando, killed by stray bullets : not one of the rioters (1929)
- Albert Mortgareidge, convict at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, poses for his mug shot (front and profile) with shaved head and a jacket with wide, horizontal stripes and a number card: 15000.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Identification photographs--Colorado--Canon City--1920- 1930.; Prisoners--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Mortgareidge, Albert.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1930 and 1935?]
- Albert Walters 1870-1874
- Albert Walters, first Warden at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, poses in a double breasted coat, bow tie, and conductor's cap reading: "Cellhouse." He has a "walrus" moustache.
- Prison wardens--Colorado--Canon City--1870-1880.; Canon City (Colo.)--1870-1880.; Walters, Albert.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1870 and 1874?]
- Ambulance at prison riot
- Parked outside the stone, barred, West Gate at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, this four-door hardtop 1920's sedan has signs with crosses in the front and side windows reading: "Ambulance." The keystone in the arched gate reads:...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Ambulances--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1929
- Anton Wood : 11 years old youngest prisoner
- Anton Wood, a.k.a. "Kid Wallace," inmate at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, poses in pinstriped shirt, suspenders, checked tie, and number card:"3199."
- Canon City (Colo.)--1870-1880.; Boys--Colorado--Canon City--1870-1880.; Prisoners--Colorado--Canon City--1870-1880.; Wood, Anton.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1870 and 1880?]
- Apple orchard maintained by the Colorado State Penitentiary
- Inmates at the State Penitentiary orchard in Canon City, Colorado, pose among crates and tables mounded with apples. They wear long sleeved shirts, suspenders and soft hats. Guards in suits and a variety of hats oversee; a horse drawn buggy (with...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Apple orchards--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Prisoners--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1920 and 1930?]
- Arkansas River 1965 flood of prison farm
- This aerial view shows the Arkansas River near Canon City, Colorado, flooding the farm of the Colorado State Penitentiary. Past the sandbars and braiding, low sandstone bluffs have erosion with vertical ridging. Foothills are in the background.
- Arkansas River--1960-1970.; Canon City (Colo.)--1960-1970.; Floods--Colorado--Canon City--1960-1970.
- 1965
- Artillery used during prison riot 75 millimeter fielpiece.
- Chained to a flatbed truck at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, is a wheel-mounted artillery, 75 millimeter field piece from the National Guard firing range in Golden. It was used during the October 3 riot after dynamite failed to...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Artillery (Weaponry)--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Prison riots--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1929
- Bakery
- Convicts in pinstripes and aprons pose in the bakery at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado. Interior tile walls have a double wooden door, a gauge, and oven vents. A scale is on a table, and a sliced loaf of bread is in the foreground.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1910-1930.; Bakeries--Colorado--Canon City--1910-1930.; Interiors.; Prisoners--Colorado--Canon City--1910-1930.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1910-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1910 and 1930?]
- Band and tug of war, Labor Day, 1934
- Men at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, are engaged in a tug of war; other inmates watch. A seated band in the foreground plays drums, horns, and clarinets. Background includes guard towers and a baseball scoreboard.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Prisoners--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Tug of war--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1934
- Bird in a gilded cage
- Holding a parakeet on her finger, this female inmate at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, aims a kiss at its beak. A potted philodendron and toothbrush are on the interior sill; bars and screen block the window.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1950-1960.; Prisoners--Colorado--Canon City--1950-1960.; Women--Colorado--Canon City--1950-1960.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1959
- Bird's eye view of Colorado State Penitentiary
- State Penitentiary complex in Canon City, Colorado, consists of stone buildings and walls with faceted corner lookout towers. A spur of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad crosses the City Ditch in the foreground, which cuts through the...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1890-1900.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1890 and 1900?]
- Bo and Bess of the C-S-P pack of blood hounds
- Warden Best of the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, pets a dog standing on the tailgate of a 1930's woodside truck. A man in a suit holds the leash of another dog, and a man in a sleeveless undershirt and golf hat looks on. A ladder...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Dogs--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Best, Roy.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1935
- Building gas chamber
- Vents and a chimney rise from the gable roof of the gas chamber at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado. Brick lintels and sills finish the windows in the stucco wall. A man stands by a wood scaffold.
- Gas chambers--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Construction--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1931
- Building house around the gas chamber
- Vents rise from the gable roof of the gas chamber at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado. Coiled wire hangs from the eaves, and a brick lintel and sill finishes the window in the stucco wall. A man stands by a wood scaffold, and a loose...
- Gas chambers--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Construction--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1931
- C S P cemetery
- Plank gravemarkers and weeds fill the cemetery at the State Penitentiary, Canon City, Fremont County, Colorado. One marker is a star in a circle and reads: "US Veteran;" flowers decorate surrounding graves.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1900-1930.; Cemeteries--Colorado--Canon City--1900-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1900 and 1930?]
- C S P cemetery
- Plank gravemarkers and weeds fill the cemetery at the State Penitentiary, Canon City, Fremont County, Colorado. One marker reads: "CSP Inmate."
- Canon City (Colo.)--1900-1930.; Cemeteries--Colorado--Canon City--1900-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1900 and 1930?]
- C S P cemetery
- Plank gravemarkers and weeds fill the cemetery at the State Penitentiary, Canon City, Fremont County, Colorado. One marker is a star in a circle and reads: "US Veteran;" other graves are decorated with flowers.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1900-1930.; Cemeteries--Colorado--Canon City--1900-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1900 and 1930?]
- C. S. P. gardens
- Fields of crops at the State Penitentiary farm in Canon City, Colorado, are flanked by roads; the stone garden house and outbuildings are at the end. Rock walls and a wooden gate form an enclosure in the foreground, with a hay feeder and loading...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Farms--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1934
- C.S.P. cemetery
- Plank gravemarkers and weeds fill the cemetery at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado. A metal plate in the foreground reads: "C.S.P. Inmate;" trees and hills are in the background.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1900-1930.; Cemeteries--Colorado--Canon City--1900-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1900 and 1930?]
- C.S.P. cemetery
- Plank gravemarkers and weeds fill the cemetery at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado. Flowers on two graves and a metal star in a circle reading: "U.S. Veteran" are in the foreground.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1900-1930.; Cemeteries--Colorado--Canon City--1900-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1900 and 1930?]
- C.S.P. cemetery
- Plank gravemarkers and weeds fill the cemetery at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado. One marker is a metal star in a circle; trees and hills are in the background.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1900-1930.; Cemeteries--Colorado--Canon City--1900-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1900 and 1930?]
- C.S.P. class
- Convicts at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, sit at a table in wooden chairs with numbers hand-written on the backs. They watch an instructor use a pointer on a chalkboard with labelled, anatomical details of the bovine reproductive...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1960-1970.; Classrooms--Colorado--Canon City--1960-1970.; Interiors.; Prisoners--Colorado--Canon City--1960-1970.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1963
- C.S.P. labor crew (gang) returning from rock quarry work where they've dug in the same place since 1871
- Convicts walk in formation (some with arms crossed) as Warden Roy Best and his two dogs, Bo and Bess, look on. A guard stands by another group of prisoners; a stone building with factory windows are in the background.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1960.; Prison laborers--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1960.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1932 and 1955?]
- C.S.P. personnel riot officials
- F. E. Crawford, warden at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, hat in hands, is flanked by men dressed in suits, jodhpurs, leather gaiters, kneepants and a bow tie. One holds goggles, another a rifle. A uniformed man with a leather...
- Prison wardens--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Canon City (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Prison riots--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1929
- C.S.P. prison firing range
- Suited men, accompanied by a uniformed guard or soldier aim their pistols at arm's length. They are in a field at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado. A tractor is on the road in the background.
- Bombing and gunnery ranges--Colorado--Canon City--1950- 1960.; Canon City (Colo.)--1950-1960.; Prison guards--Colorado--Canon City--1950-1960.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1950 and 1960?]
- Cameramen in action at State Prison (Canon City) during 1939 (sic) riot
- Men stand around a camera on a tripod at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, after the riot of 1929. Others are outside the open door of the stone, one-story shop building. Windows and the adjacent faceted guard tower are broken out. A...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1920-1930.; Prison riots--Colorado--Canon City--1920-1930.; Dubois, Jean.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1929
- Canon City
- The penitentiary complex in Canon City, Colorado, consists of a pair of three-story structures (one with a mansard roof) and the surrounding wall and tower. All are of random ashlar stone. Laundry hangs between poles in the enclosure, flat roofed...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1880-1890.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1880-1890.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1883
- Canon City - Colo. State Pen
- At the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, a group of men, women and children pose on a stone dock with a wall behind them. Outfits include a fur collar, winter coats and dress hats with ribbons, feathers and flowers.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1900-1910.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1900-1910.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1900 and 1910]
- Canon City about 1883
- Looking northeast at Canon City, Colorado, the State Penitentiary is a complex of two-story stone buildings with gable roofs and a surrounding wall with corner towers. Tents and piles of ties are next to tracks of the Denver and Rio Grande Western...
- Canon City (Colo.)--1880-1890.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1880-1890.; Colorado State Penitentiary.; Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company.
- 1883
- Canon City Composer's Club
- Men and women of the Composer's Club of Canon City, Colorado, pose wearing cravats, oversized buttons, puff shoulders, a variety of fabrics, feathers, pleats, ruffles and applique.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1890-1900.; Composers--Colorado--Canon City--1890-1900.
- 1897
- Canon City death house
- The death house, at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado, is made of brick and has a stone foundation. A man stands on the catwalk by a faceted stone guard tower on the roof; a frame gazebo is on the ground next to the barred door....
- Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- 1930
- Canon City execution room
- Levers, switches, and a pulley with a weight and a square can hang outside the gas chamber at the State Penitentiary in Canon City, Colorado. Wood molding frames a slotted window in the wall, and doors flank the apparatus.
- Gas chambers--Colorado--Canon City--1930-1940.; Canon City (Colo.)--1930-1940.; Prisons--Colorado--Canon City--1960-1970.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1930 and 1940?]
- Canon City locals selecting apples for purchase
- Mounds of apples are on tables at the State Penitentiary farm in Canon City, Colorado. Men and women carrying baskets in a variety of hats pick through them. Crates are stacked around, and trees are in the background.
- Canon City (Colo.)--1880-1900.; Apple orchards--Colorado--Canon City--1880-1900.; Colorado State Penitentiary.
- [between 1880 and 1900?]