Historic Nevada State Prison to open for tours

The public will soon be able to tour the historic Nevada State Prison in Carson City. Opened in 1862, the prison opened on the site of the Warm Springs Hotel even before the territory became a state. The prison's quarry supplied the materials needed to build the State Capitol.

The Carson City Chamber of Commerce 2016 Leadership Class will offer the prison tours as a fundraiser from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday, April 16.

With the legalization of gaming in Nevada, the prison allowed inmates to gamble in the Bull Pen, a casino that was set up in 1932 and closed in 1967.

The prison was also the location of the country's first execution by lethal gas when condemned murderer Gee Jon of the Hip Sing Tong criminal society was killed in 1924.

In 2015, the prison was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Volunteers, many of them former prison guards, will lead the tours according to Glen Whorton, the former prison director who also heads up the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society (NSPPS). Special tours start for the Carson City Chamber of Commerce on April 16, and Whorton hopes to have public tours two or three days a week.

The Nevada State Prison is located at 3301 E. 5th St., the southeast corner of the intersection of Fifth Street and Interstate 580 in Carson City. It is approximately 2 miles from the state capital and visible from the interstate.

Admission for the fundraiser is $10 per person; $25 per family (2 adults/3 children); and $5 per Senior 60 & over. Tickets are available at: Carson City Chamber of Commerce, 1900 S. Carson St.; Nevada Day Store, 108 W. Telegraph St.; CC Visitors Bureau, 716 N. Carson St. Guided Tours, Books, Prison Industry Sales, Food Trucks (available for an additional cost).

More information on future events will be available on the preservation society's website.