BOZEMAN EDITION
The Monthly
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Montana’s Darkest Place: Forgotten Stories of the Montana State Prison at Deer Lodge
JANUARY 2016
IN THIS ISSUE Page 4
F11 Photographic
By Ellen Baumler and J.M. Cooper
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Harley & Madison's Corner
Unsavory characters and criminals lured west by the gold rush prompted the need for a federal penitentiary in Montana Territory. Established at Deer Lodge in 1870, the prison passed to the new state of Montana in 1889, but there were no funds to operate the institution. Private enterprise solved the problem when Frank Conley and Thomas McTague contracted with the state as prison administrators. The institution’s turbulent and uneven past includes the controversial 30-year regime of Warden Frank Conley, who was eventually accused – and acquitted – of amassing considerable wealth at the state’s expense. His main achievement, amidst much criticism, was putting prisoners to work. In 1893, inmates built the massive wall that still surrounds the complex. That, and a cellblock completed in 1898, brought Montana’s prison national acclaim. However, aside from the prison labor that built state buildings and miles of roads, Conley’s achievements were mostly superficial. The prison was an awful place, filled with contradictions. By 1900, approximately 370 inmates lived inside the wall, while another 130 lived outside at various worksites. Among them were the warden’s specially privileged “trusties.” Trustie Thomas O’Brien had served half of his five-year sentence for grand larceny when he staged a spectacular getaway in 1902. Like some trusties, O’Brien lived inside but worked outside the wall as the stable boss of the prison’s large barn. One of his duties was exercising Conley’s prize racehorse. O’Brien claimed that he had veterinary training and thus obtained opium for medicinal purposes. He fed it to the vicious bloodhounds the warden kept to unleash on escapees. With the dogs sleeping soundly, O’Brien saddled up the racehorse and told the guards that he was on an errand for the warden. Once
out on the road, he took off at top speed. He left a note promising to return. During his 18 days of freedom, the Montana Standard published a long treatise he had written proclaiming his innocence. O’Brien then turned himself in. Instead of punishment, O’Brien’s honesty earned him a pardon in 1903. Conley allowed his prison laborers to work on copper king W. A. Clark’s ranch and in his mines. In exchange, Clark endowed the prison library and band. In 1919, Clark’s son funded construction of the W.A. Clark Theater, the nation’s first theater built inside a prison. The theater opened in 1920 with the traveling cast of the Broadway musical My Sunshine Lady. Edward Tanquary earned the high honor of giving roses to the leading lady. It was a highly emotional moment as Tanquary thanked her on behalf of all the inmates. He had served six years of a life sentence for the murder of a man who threatened his wife. Upon entering Deer Lodge, Tanquary asked the warden to save his new suit of clothes for when the court granted him a new trial. That time never came and, in 1922, Tanquary took his own life. For more of this and other timeless stories chronicling Montana’s lively history, check out the newest issue of the Montana Historian, available at fine retail establishments throughout the valley or online at www.reyadvertising.com. The Montana Historian illuminates the colorful histories whose panorama shapes this unique place. From ghost town barstools to the early trains to Yellowstone, readers have first-class seats to look into this distinct story. Aimed at a diverse group of locals and tourists, the Historian brings these stories to life for everyone interested in Montana. For more information, visit us on Facebook @ Ré • Ad - Rey Advertising.
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