The Teller County Jail served the area for 91 years after its construction at a cost of $25,000. Equipped with indoor plumbing and electricity and designed to house 100 inmates, it was considered one of the most modern and sanitary facilities of its time. As a county facility, it was built to hold men, women, and children separately within locally produced brick walls. In the wild west mining towns of Cripple Creek, Victor, and surrounding communities, it held quick-change artists, bank hold ups, and murderers while brave men and women worked to protect residents and businesses. After closing in 1992, the building sat vacant until 2007, when the City of Cripple Creek purchased it intending to open a museum. Since then, the museum has been open to the public to share the history of Cripple Creek's outlaws and lawmen, and it is considered one of the most haunted buildings in the city, drawing paranormal groups from around the world who hope to contact former inmates said never to have left the building.