Quirky Idaho - Roadside Attractions

IDAHO LEGENDS

Quirky Idaho - Oddities and Roadside

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Quirky Idaho

Idaho Fun Facts & Trivia

Old Idaho Penitentiary

Oasis Bordello Museum

Soda Springs Geyser

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Spud Drive-In Potato, Driggs, idaho

In Driggs, Idaho you can see this huge potato at the

Spud Drive-In, photo courtesy Spud Drive-In Theatre

Old Idaho Penitentiary

If you want to see how the convicts lived, check out Idaho's first territorial prison in Boise, Idaho.

Idaho Territory was less than ten years old when the territorial prison was built east of Boise in 1870. The penitentiary grew from a single cellhouse into a complex of several distinctive buildings surrounded by a high sandstone wall. Built by convict labor, the prisoners quarried the stone from the nearby ridges to complete the construction.

Over its century of operation, the penitentiary received more than 13,000 convicts, of whom 215 were women. Spurred in part by conditions that sparked a general riot in 1971 and an even more severe riot in 1973, the inmate population was moved to a modern penitentiary south of Boise and the Old Idaho Penitentiary was closed on December 3, 1973.

After the Penitentiary closed in 1973, the site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Idaho Convict Today it is a fascinating Boise tourist attraction that offers one of the most informative prison tours in the West. The prison is open to visitors to walk through the courtyards, the cells, the gallows and the "coolers" where prisoners were sentenced to solitary confinement. You will begin your visit with a video presentation recalling prison history, notorious inmates, and daily prison life. Once inside the Yard, imagine life in the foreboding sandstone cellhouses, see the contrasting beauty of the historic rose gardens, and view the effects of the 1973 riot. Exhibits are located throughout the site.

The prison is open all year and admission is charged for the tour.

Contact Information:

Old Idaho Penitentiary

2445 Old Penitentiary Road
Boise, Idaho 83712

208-334-2844

Orbitz Hotels

Book your lodging right HERE online.

Old Idaho Penitentiary

Old Idaho Penitentiary, courtesy Boise State University

Oasis Bordello Museum, Wallace, Idaho

Oasis Bordello Museum, courtesy Staff House Museum

Oasis Bordello Museum

This place actually operated as a fully functional "real live" bordello until 1988, when its occupants left in a real hurry, abandoning their clothing, makeup and toiletries. Even the dirty dishes were left in the sink as the "ladies" hustled out before the Feds raided the joint. Prior to that time, the Oasis, along with four other such brothels happily skipped along, providing their services, until a local politician was charged with going easy on law enforcement in North Idaho in exchange for campaign contributions.

At the time, each of the five businesses sported a neon sign advertising "rooms.” Some travelers were no doubt surprised to find that these rooms were not the type meant to "rest."

The Oasis Bordello is in the Bi Metallic Building which begain its existence in 1895 as a hotel and saloon. When Wallace became the center of the one of the world's richest silver mining districts, men outnumbered the women nearly 200 to 1, and the building soon housed the Oasis.

Oasis Bordello Museum Today the Oasis Bordello is a museum where they say a very "tasteful" tour is presented to its many visitors. Proprietress Michelle Mayfield shares information gleaned from the ladies’ hairdressers, local policemen, the establishment’s former bouncers and maids, and even the ladies themselves. In a 20-minute glimpse into the past, the details of the presentation range from poignant to hilarious.

Entry to the Oasis gift shop on the main floor is free. The shop offers literature on women of the west, mementos from the Oasis’s days of operation, and lingerie from thong panties to flannel nightgowns. Robert Thomas Murals adorn the shop walls. The guided tour of the Oasis Rooms is on the second floor and is the main attraction, covering several other displays of interest, including a still and an old wine press in the basement.

Contact Information:

Oasis Bordello Museum

605 Cedar Street
Wallace, Idaho 83873
(208) 753-0801

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