954

Montana Penitentiary Document Quartet, ca. 1870-1899

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia Start Price:95.00 USD Estimated At:140.00 - 260.00 USD
Montana Penitentiary Document Quartet, ca. 1870-1899
SOLD
95.00USDto floor+ buyer's premium
This item SOLD at 2021 Jan 27 @ 18:11UTC-4 : AST/EDT
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Deer Lodge and Bozeman, Montana. Lot of 4 pieces, most related to the running of Montana prisons. 1874 issued $75.00 paycheck for a physician's salary for the month of June, for work at the Montana Penitentiary in Deer Lodge, Montana Territory; 1886 letter from the office of the United States Penitentiary, in Deer Lodge, Montana Territory, written by Warden Tom McTague regarding the incarceration of 6 men, their crimes and terms of their sentence; 1899 document from Conley & McTague, Contractors of the Montana State Penitentiary, with confirmed reception of a prisoner sentenced to one year; also included is a 1878 Montana Steam Cracker Co. shipping document of packages to be sent to Helena, Montana. The Montana State Prison is a men's correctional facility of the Montana Department of Corrections in unincorporated Powell County, Montana, about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Deer Lodge. The "Old Prison" served as the Montana Territorial Prison from its creation in 1871 until Montana achieved statehood in 1889, then continued as the primary penal institution for the State of Montana until 1979. Throughout the prison's history, the institution was plagued with constant overcrowding, insufficient funds, and antiquated facilities. The administration of Warden Frank Conley (whose letterhead is included in the lot) from 1890 to 1921 proved the exception to this rule, as Warden Conley instituted extensive inmate labor projects that kept many inmates at work constructing the prison buildings and walls as well as providing various state and community services like road building, logging, and ranching. After Conley left office, the prison experienced almost forty years of degeneration, mismanagement, and monetary restraints until an explosive riot in 1959 captured the attention of the nation. Led by Jerry Myles and Lee Smart, the riot maintained the prison under inmate control for thirty-six hours before the Montana National Guard stormed the institution to restore order. The facility was retired in September 1979, and the inmates were moved to the current prison. The Old Prison was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is now a museum.