Remember When?

110 YEARS AGO

FEBRUARY 21, 1910

HOLDUPS GET THIRTY DAYS

IN JAIL

Trout Creek Offenders Are Guests of the Sheriff in the County Bastille

Walter Howard and Barney Brogan were brought here by Sheriff Massey Tuesday from Trout Creek to serve 30 days in the county jail. The men were sentenced by Justice O'Donnell and were charged with vagrancy, for want of witnesses to prosecute them on more serious offenses, of which there is little doubt in the minds of the officers as to their guilt.

Monday night witnessed two more hold-ups at Trout Creek. Both happened well toward morning. Frank Staples, an employee of Johnson's camp was held up at the lone cedar tree between the two parts of town by four men and relieved of about $10.50. One of them grabbed him as he was passing the place and threw him backward into the snow, while the others quickly gathered from behind nearby stumps and quickly rifled his pockets, relieving him of his money. The imprint in the snow was plainly discernible next morning, as were the footprints of the thugs, showing where they had come out from behind the stumps. The officers captured Walter Howard, one of the supposed four hold-up men, but as there were no witnesses to the affair it seemed impossible to prove his connection, and he was brought before the justice on a vagrancy charge, receiving a 30-day sentence.

The second hold-up occurred back of the new butcher shop. A Russian employed in one of the saloons as a swamper, was the victim. Barney Brogan committed this job alone, so the officers believe, relieving the Russian of about $10. He followed the Russian out of Finnegan's saloon and committed the deed, so parties coming from Trout Creek say. He was haled before the court and charged with vagrancy, receiving a 30-day sentence.

THE FIRST JAILS

Taken from Sheriffs & Undersheriffs

of Sanders County, Montana

By Annie Elizabeth Sloan

In 1901, Missoula County gave both Thompson Falls and Plains a small amount of money to build a jail in each town. The one for Thompson Falls was built at the corner of Maiden Lane and the riverbank. There were specific instructions as to how the jail was to be built. The measurement was 12 feet by 12 feet. The room was to be partitioned off, so that the one cell would be four and a half feet by six and one half feet wide, this cell and the one at Plains was purchased from the Van Dorn Iron Works company of Cleveland, Ohio, at the cost of $286.70, shipping included. The building was to be constructed from stone and cement. After completion this jail was used from 1901 to 1907.

At one time the old jail was rented out to Wayne Thompson as a shoe repair shop. I remember going into this building with my dad when I was a little kid. Later the building was used as an apartment rental. Eventually the structure was in such poor shape that it was demolished.

Due to overcrowding at the small jail, the bottom of the I.O.O.F. Hall, was used for additional prisoners. The rent for this space was $10 a month, paid every three months. It was at this time, plans for a new jail were being enacted and building begun. This was during 1906 and until the fall of 1907.

From 1907 to 1981 the jail, now the Old Jail Museum, served Sanders County as the detention center. The building had living quarters on the first floor for the Sheriff or Undersheriff, and his family. On the second floor, there were 6 small cells – sleeping four occupants per cell for the male prisoners and one large cell, divided into two smaller cells for women prisoners. The wives of the Sheriff were expected to do the cooking for the prisoners. The last sheriff to reside in the county jail was Wally Britton and his wife, Barbara Hoyt Britton.

When it was replaced with a new and larger jail, plans were begun to demolish the old one because of the amount of repairs that were needed to keep it functional. With the work of many civic minded people, money was raised to repair the building and it was turned into the Sanders County Museum.