Utah Penitentiary
Dates
- Existence: 1855 - 1896
Biography
The Utah Penitentiary, known as the Utah Territorial Penitentiary (1855-1951) was a prison used to house convicts for the terrirory of Utah. The prison grew larger in 1896 after Utah became a state, and later, all death penalties were administered there. As Salt Lake City and the neighborhood of Sugar House grew, the population wanted the prison moved away. By 1937, plans were created for a new prison in Draper, Utah, and in 1951, the inmates were moved there and the old building was demolished.
The Utah Penitentiary was first known as the Utah Territorial Penitentiary before statehood was achieved, later known as the Utah State Prison, and is known referred to as Sugar House Prison. It was originally built by the Territorial Assembly of the Utah Territory with help from Congress, and the land was selected by Brigham Young. The site was located where we know today as 2100 S 1400 E. Later expansions saw buildings constructed to hold polygamists that were cohabitating unlawfully. The prison was never very full before this, but the prosecution of polygamists in the 1870s-80s (before the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints renounced the practice in 1890) brought in hundreds of prisoners, creating this need for expansion. The prison was set to be relocated in 1937 and construction began on the new site in Draper in 1941. Work was delayed due to World War II, but it was finished 1951. The old site was destroyed and made into a public park, and the inmate population was moved to the Draper prison, known as the Utah State Prison.
Citation:
Life in the Pen, ca. 1889: p. 4 (Utah Penitentiary)LC data base, 8/1/89 (hdg.: Utah. State Prison, Salt Lake City; usage:Utah State Prison)
Wikipedia, accessed November 15, 2023 (The Utah Penitentiary was known as the Utah Territorial Penitentiary and operated from 1855-1951) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_House_Prison_(Utah)
Utah Rails, via WWW, accessed November 15, 2023 (The Utah Territorial Penitentiary, located at 2100 S 1400 E, began operation in 1855. It saw much use during the times of persecution for polygamists in Utah prior to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints condemnation of the practice) https://utahrails.net/utahrails/utah-territorial-prison.php
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Rules of Pen Library
Manuscript was written by Rudger Clawson for the Utah Territorial Penitentiary. It describes the rules for checking out books within the penitentiary by the inmates. It is one page long and the only known draft. The document was created circa 1885. There is also a typescript included.