P
risons by design can be formidable and fearsome
institutions, especially some of the original hewn-
stone territorial and state penitentiaries, such as the
Old Montana Prison in Deer Lodge. The first territorial prison in
the Western United States, it now captivates visitors to the 9-acre,
six-block Old Montana Prison Complex, which includes the
Frontier Montana Museum, Powell County Museum, Montana
Auto Museum and Yesterday’s Playthings doll and toy museum.
Although Montana Territory was ostensibly organized on
May 26, 1864, its early years were marred by crime and resulting
vigilantism in such gold boomtowns as Bannack and Virginia City.
In response to appeals from Montana representatives, Congress
granted $40,000 in 1867 for the construction of a territorial prison.
The original plan called for a three-story stone structure, but due
to high labor costs just one story had been completed when the
prison opened on July 2, 1871, with U.S. Marshal William Wheeler
processing the first nine inmates. Within a month the new penal
institution was overcrowded, so officials turned to prison labor to
expand the existing facility—a cost-saving measure employed for
decades. In 1885 there were 120 inmates but only 28 cells, so some
inmates camped on the prison grounds. The next year 42 newly
built double-occupancy cells accommodated the overflow.FORMIDABLE, FEARSOME FUN
On Montana’s admission to the Union on Nov. 8, 1889, the
facility became the state prison. Among its longtime wardens was
Frank Conley, who started as a guard in 1886 and worked at the
prison for the next 35 years. For 30 of those years he and busi-
ness partner Thomas McTague ran the prison under contract.
Conley was a great believer in efficiency and hard work—on
the part of the inmates. In 1893 he directed prisoners to build
3½-foot-thick stone walls buried 4 feet deep and extending 20
to 22 feet aboveground. The addition of six crenellated towers
and a sally port gave the prison a medieval aspect. Conley and
McTague also exploited the free labor to further their personal
moneymaking ventures, including a brickyard, a sawmill, ranches
and a slaughterhouse. Meanwhile, the inmate population soared
from 242 in 1890 to almost 700 in 1917. Conley was ultimately
dismissed for corruption in 1921, though for the next four decades
the warden’s job became largely a political patronage position
for the Montana governor.
Prison life was barely humane. Through 1912 none of the tiny
cells had plumbing or artificial lights, and the general facilities
were soon outdated and allowed to deteriorate. Under state law a
physician was only required to visit monthly to examine sick and
invalid prisoners. Punishment for not following rules and regu-LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES,
THE OLD MONTANA PRISON IS PART OF A FIVE-MUSEUM COMPLEX
BY LINDA WOMMACK76COLLECTIONSWILD WEST JUNE 2019