Idaho State Penitentiary

On a Thursday afternoon we visited the Old Idaho State Penitentiary as a “something to do.” The site is old and imagining that it held prisoners until the 1970’s was startling. My feelings here were much the same as visiting Alcatraz in California. Imagining the violence that occurred within the walls, and the violence that led to the prisoners being here, seemed palpable and heavy.  Visually, I found the plumbing fixtures the most interesting, as most of the buildings are non-descript limestone. The drinking fountains, uncomfortably reminded me of the ones on my elementary school’s playground.