Old Montana Prison: Prisoner-made weapons (museum exhibit)

by Ojibwa for Museums

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Monday, Feb. 09, 2026 Monday, Feb. 09, 2026 at 11:15:22am PST

In the spring of 1870, construction began on the Montana Territorial Prison in Deer Lodge. When Montana became a state in 1889, the funding and operation of the prison became the responsibility of the state. Inadequate funding and overcrowded conditions then plagued the prison until it was abandoned in 1979. Today, the Old Montana prison is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is operated as a museum by the Powell County Museum and Arts Foundation under a lease agreement with the State of Montana.

For both staff and prisoners, the prison was a dangerous place, and it was not uncommon for some prisoners to make weapons which were intended to kill or maim, The Old Montana Prison Museum in Deer Lodge, Montana, has an exhibit showing some of the weapons made by prisoners.