The large fenced in building seen these photos occupies a place of prominence in the small town of Deer Lodge. For the longest time this structure was the Montana State Prison — now known as the Old Montana Prison.
Construction on the facility began in 1871, when it was called the Montana Territorial Prison (Montana did not become a state until 1889). It was constructed by convicts on a 9-acre property and was the first territorial prison in the US. To deter escape attempts, the outer sandstone wall is 24 feet high, and is anchored four feet into the ground.
The facility became overcrowded and fell into disrepair, and in 1959 a riot took place at the prison. One of the Deputy Wardens was killed in the riot, and national attention was focused on the prison situation. It took 20 years, but this prison was closed and the last inmates transferred out of it in 1979. The new prison is still in the same valley, but not in the town of Deer Lodge itself.
The Old Montana Prison is now home to several museums. One of them is focused on life in the Old Prison itself. Another — the Montana Auto Museum –is popular and is home to 160 cars. Other museums in the complex include the Frontier Montana Museum (cowboy era relics), the Powell County Museum (mining, wood-carving and local history) and Yesterday’s Playthings (old toys). I’ve yet to visit any of these museums but hope to soon.
