Captivating Conversations: Legends and Legacies

Join the Old Idaho Penitentiary for a Captivating Conversation with Samuel Anderson, Research and Education Coordinator at the Old Idaho Penitentiary, for an evening of LEGENDS AND LEGACIES.

This event is FREE. Pre-register online or arrive at the Old Idaho Penitentiary by 6:30 pm on Friday, January 16, 2026.

Event: Friday, January 16, 2026. Doors open at 6:00 pm, presentation begins at 6:30 pm. Site closes at 8:00 pm. Arrive early to explore the site and grab complimentary refreshments before the conversation begins.

Legends and Legacies:
No individuals have captured the public’s attention quite like the historical figures mythologized during the Old West—especially those who enforced the law and those who broke it. But behind every larger-than-life tale stood real people, men and women whose lives, choices, and flaws inspired the legends.

Join Samuel Anderson, Research and Education Coordinator at the Old Idaho Penitentiary and host of the Behind Gray Walls podcast, as he shares true tales from the penitentiary’s fascinating history.

Samuel will take a close look at five of the most prominent figures from the early days of Idaho’s longest-operating prison: Teton Jackson (#111), whom newspapers called, “the prince of horse thieves”; Edwin Trafton (#814), the “laughing bandit” who robbed stagecoaches in Yellowstone National Park; Warden Jack Campbell, who began his law enforcement career collecting bounties; Charles Chambers (#483), who once robbed Warden John Hailey’s stagecoach line; and finally Sheriff John Springer, who brought law and order to the boomtown of Silver City.

The most mythologized moments of the Old West often rest on the struggle to enforce the law. As Idaho transformed from a territory to a state, the story of early law and order unfolded behind the sandstone walls of the Idaho Penitentiary. Samuel will sort through fact and fiction to offer a true and engaging look at five individuals who left behind legends and legacies we still discuss today.

“Captivating Conversations” is an ongoing educational experience series, hosted by the Old Idaho Penitentiary and featuring a variety of guest speakers and topics ranging from the history of the Idaho State Penitentiary to the issues facing correctional institutions today.

Photo: Warden John Campbell surveys construction progress on the Old Idaho Penitentiary, circa 1890s. ISHS 1241-B.