FCI Sheridan is a medium-security federal prison for men in Yamhill County, Oregon, with an adjoining minimum-security camp. The town of Sheridan actively lobbied to land this facility back in 1981, seeing it as an economic opportunity, and the city even invested around $2.2 million upgrading its water and wastewater systems to help support the project. The prison opened in May 1989 under its first warden, George Killinger, becoming one of Oregon's first federal correctional facilities. It has operated continuously since, and today has a rated capacity of around 2,000, with a population in recent years running somewhat below that between the main institution and camp combined. Beyond its origin story as a community-driven project, Sheridan doesn't carry the kind of dramatic historical events some older federal penitentiaries do; it functions as a fairly typical medium-security institution serving the Pacific Northwest region. For families, its rural Yamhill County setting means it's a bit of a drive from Portland, so planning ahead for visits is worthwhile.