Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Grant Kohrs Ranch dates back to the 1860s.
Deer Lodge was home to the first prison in Montana Territory, built in 1871. The im-
pressive redbrick, iron-gated prison you see today was built in the 1890s using inmate labor.
Prisoners also made the 1.2 million bricks used to build the cell block and other buildings.
Visitors can take self-guided tours through the rows of vacant cell blocks, the maximum-
security area, the “galloping gallows,” and learn about the rules and daily regimen for both
prisoners and guards. There are a few macabre histories of some of the more interesting
characters who occupied these cells. Prisoners who were seen as potential escapees, for
example, were forced to wear work shoes with concrete soles, each weighing about 20
pounds, to inhibit their flight. The building itself is actually impressive and somewhat beau-
tiful (but bleak and very cold), resembling a castle with turreted stone towers at each corner.
Also housed in this building is the
Montana Law Enforcement Museum,
which pays trib-
ute to officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The
Montana Auto Museum
was recently recognized by
USA Today
as one of the best
auto museums in the country. It houses more than 150 cars, many of them beautifully re-
stored, hard-to-find vintage models, including a 1911 Ford Model T.
