FORMIDABLE, FEARSOME FUN

Prisons 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