Ruined stone building on an island with visitors - historic jails

Self-guided · metro area, Colorado

Historic Jails in Denver, CO

Old county jails and lockups near you, some turned into museums, all with stories the courthouse records only hint at.

The Denver–Aurora–Centennial, CO metro area has about 3,092,037 residents, ranking 19th in the country. Buildings like these are easy to drive past because they are still in use. The register listing is what tells you why they matter.

Tourists walk down a prison cell block hallway - historic jails — Photo: clement proust on Unsplash

People on pier looking at alcatraz island across the bay - historic jails — Photo: clement proust on Unsplash

Interior of an old prison with spiral staircase and cells - historic jails — Photo: clement proust on Unsplash

On the record near Denver, CO

The 10 nearest

10 listed sites on the record match historic jails within 200 miles of Denver, CO, out of 385 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles.

Morgan County Courthouse and Jail72 miles from the center of Denver · Building · Fort Morgan · listed 2002National Register of Historic Places
Chaffee County Courthouse and Jail Buildings87 miles from the center of Denver · Building · Buena Vista · listed 1979National Register of Historic Places
Colorado Women's Prison91 miles from the center of Denver · Building · Canon City · listed 1999National Register of Historic Places
Wyoming Territorial Penitentiary113 miles from the center of Denver · Building · Laramie · listed 1978National Register of Historic Places
Westcliffe Jail114 miles from the center of Denver · Building · Westcliffe · listed 1993National Register of Historic Places
Marble Jailhouse126 miles from the center of Denver · Building · Marble · listed 2016National Register of Historic Places
Saguache School and Jail Buildings130 miles from the center of Denver · Building · Saguache · listed 1975National Register of Historic Places
Huerfano County Courthouse and Jail147 miles from the center of Denver · Building · Walsenburg · listed 1973National Register of Historic Places
Bent County Courthouse and Jail150 miles from the center of Denver · Building · Las Animas · listed 1976National Register of Historic Places
Cheyenne County Jail155 miles from the center of Denver · Building · Cheyenne Wells · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Denver, CO. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Historic Jails in Denver, step by step

1
See every listed site of this kind in the area
2
Sort by distance and pick the closest few
3
Read the record for the year, the builder and the use
4
View from the public way and note what has changed
5
Collect the set and move on to the next county

What people in Denver, CO ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Denver, CO?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are these buildings open to the public?

Some are, many are not. Churches, courthouses and libraries usually keep regular hours. Houses, barns and mills are often private and best seen from the road. The record for each site tells you which kind it is.

What does it mean when a site is on the National Register?

It means the property was documented and accepted as historically significant. Listing honors the site, it does not open it to visitors or stop an owner from using it.

How a visit works in Denver

Step 1
Find the place
Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Denver, CO the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.
Step 2
Read the story
The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.
Step 3
Get there under your own power
Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Denver, CO are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.
Step 4
Collect it and come back
Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.