Broom factory at Wyoming prison opening to visitors

The days were long, the work repetitive and the conditions rough.
But for prisoners, the opportunity to work in the Wyoming Territorial Prison's broom factory was probably better than passing time in a cell.

Now the operators of the historic site want visitors to get a taste of old-fashioned prison labor.
The state recently completed a two-year restoration of the wooden building, which sits next to the stone prison that housed Butch Cassidy.

Officials are building a hands-on exhibit inside the building, where visitors can make brooms using replicas of the original tools the prisoners toiled over.
They hope to debut the exhibit when the park opens for its summer season.

"This was a very functional building so we wanted to have that feel in here," site curator Teresa Sherwood said as she pointed out pieces of original equipment and recently purchased bales of broom corn.