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37-623: The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho . The territory was officially organized on March 3, 1863, by Act of Congress , and signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln . It is a successor region that was created by areas from existing territories undergoing parallel political transitions beginning with disputes over which country owned

74-562: A chapel in the 1930s and was destroyed by fire in the 1973 riot. The New Cell House (1889–1890) consisted of three tiers of 42 steel cells. The third tier closest to the Rose Garden served as "Death Row." The area now known as the Rose Garden (as this is what it is now) was once used to execute prisoners by hanging. Of the 10 executions in the Old State Penitentiary, six occurred here. The Administration Building (1893–1894) housed

111-441: A funeral in his honor, even providing him a headstone. Dennis is the only "inmate" buried within the prison walls. Over its 101 years of operation, the penitentiary received more than 13,000 inmates, with a maximum population of a little over 600. Two hundred and sixteen of the inmates were women. Two famous inmates were Harry Orchard and Lyda Southard . Orchard assassinated former Governor Frank Steunenberg in 1905 and Southard

148-481: A more complete list of regions and subdivisions of the United States used in modern times, see List of regions of the United States . † - indicates failed legal entities Unlike the land to the east, most of the land west of the Mississippi River was under French or Spanish rule until the first years of the 19th century. The following are state cessions made during the building of the U.S. The following

185-603: A one-vote margin of the Territorial Supreme Court. Congress failed to provide official criminal or civic codes for the Idaho territory upon its inception. It was not until January 4th, 1864 that the territory's original laws were adopted. The upheaval caused by the Civil War and Reconstruction was a distant concern to those in the comparatively stable Idaho Territory, a situation which in turn encouraged settlement. In 1864,

222-518: A result of the attempted secession of the Confederacy during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Some were enclaves within enemy-held territories: These were regions disassociated from neighboring areas due to opposing views: Belts are loosely defined sub-regions found throughout the United States that are named for a perceived commonality among the included areas, which is often related to

259-496: A separate facility for women. This building had seven two-person cells, a central day room, kitchen, and bathroom facilities. This building held the infamous Lyda Southard . Built by inmates, the Multipurpose Building (1923) served as a shirt factory, shoe shop, bakery, license plate shop, laundry, hobby room, loafing room, and housed the communal showers. Solitary confinement consisted of two sections. The first, built in

296-438: A shoe factory. In 1928, this building was remodeled for inmate occupancy and became the first cell house with indoor plumbing. The Women's Ward dormitory (1920) was built out of necessity. Prior to its completion, the women moved into the warden's old house in 1905. Previously women did not have separate quarters and several scandals forced their relocation. Male inmates built a wall around the old warden's home in 1906 to serve as

333-443: Is a list of the 31 U.S. territories that have become states, in the order of the date organized . (All were considered incorporated .) The following are land grants, cessions, defined districts (official or otherwise) or named settlements made within an area that was already part of a U.S. state or territory that did not involve international treaties or Native American cessions or land purchases. These entities were sometimes

370-486: The 111th meridian west were made part of the newly created Wyoming Territory . Idaho Territory assumed the boundaries of the modern state at that time. The discovery of gold, silver and other valuable natural resources throughout Idaho beginning in the 1860s, as well as the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, brought many new people to the territory, including Chinese laborers who came to work

407-432: The 49th Congress to accomplish this. On March 1, 1887 Congress sent a bill to President Grover Cleveland which would have returned northern Idaho to Washington Territory. Cleveland, likely as a favor to Governor Edward A. Stevenson , refused to sign the bill and it was pocket vetoed when the session of Congress ended two days later. Nevada and Utah showed interest in acquiring the remainders of southern Idaho. In 1889,

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444-532: The Bronze Age to those used today for sport, law enforcement, and military purposes. The Luristan Bronze collection dates to about 1000–650 BC. The prison has become a popular site for ghost hunters. The Travel Channel's television show Destination Fear filmed at the location for the thirteenth episode of their second season. Ghost Adventures investigated the Old Idaho State Penitentiary for

481-526: The California Trail and Mormon Trail which since hitting stride in 1847, had been conveying settler wagon trains to the west, and incidentally, across the continental divide into the Snake River Basin , a key gateway into the Idaho and Oregon Country interiors. The first territorial capital was at Lewiston from the inception in 1863 to 1866. Boise was made the territorial capital from 1866 by

518-643: The Montana Territory was organized from the northeastern section of the territory east of the Bitterroot Range . Most of the southeastern area of the territory was made part of the Dakota Territory . In the late 1860s, Idaho Territory became a destination for displaced Southern Democrats who fought for the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. These people were well represented in

555-545: The National Register of Historic Places in 1974 for its significance as a Territorial Prison. The site currently contains museums and an arboretum . Almost immediately after Idaho Territory was created, a public school system was created and stage coach lines were established. Regular newspapers were active in Lewiston, Boise and Silver City by 1865. The first telegraph line reached Franklin in 1866, with Lewiston being

592-492: The University of Idaho was awarded to the northern town of Moscow instead of its original planned location at Eagle Rock (now Idaho Falls ) in the south. This served to alleviate some of the hard feelings felt by North Idaho residents over losing the capital. In a bid for statehood, Governor Stevenson called for a constitutional convention in 1889. The convention approved a constitution on August 6, 1889, and voters approved

629-425: The 49th parallel—now the border with Canada, then a colonial possession of Great Britain. The original newly organized territory covered all of the present-day states of Idaho and Montana , and almost all of the present-day state of Wyoming , omitting only a corner in the state's extreme southwest portion. It was wholly spanned east-to-west by the bustling Oregon Trail and partly by the other emigrant trails ,

666-545: The Idaho State Historical Society recorded oral history interviews with fifteen former prison guards. These tapes and transcripts cover prison operations and remembrances from the 1950s to the closing of the prison. The collection is open for research at the society. The Territorial Prison was completed in 1872 and received its first 11 inmates from the Boise County Jail. This building was converted into

703-643: The Old Idaho Penitentiary is operated by the Idaho State Historical Society ; the elevation of the site is approximately 2,770 feet (845 m) above sea level . Dennis, a kitten found in the prison barn by an inmate in 1952 was kept in the penitentiary for sixteen years. Guards allowed him to keep Dennis even though incarcerated men were not allowed pets. Dennis roamed the yard and made friends. The guards and inmates grew to love him. In 1968, Dennis died in his sleep. The inmates performed

740-486: The buildings and cell houses with exhibits, the Idaho Merci Train boxcar, and the J. Curtis Earl Memorial Exhibit, all managed by the Idaho State Historical Society . In late 1999, J.C. Earl donated his personal collection of historic arms and military memorabilia to the state of Idaho. These items were placed on exhibition in 2001 as the J. Curtis Earl Memorial Exhibit at the Old Idaho Penitentiary. They range from

777-525: The constitution on November 5, 1889. President Benjamin Harrison signed the law admitting Idaho as a U.S. state on July 3, 1890. 44°04′N 114°44′W  /  44.06°N 114.74°W  / 44.06; -114.74 Organized incorporated territory of the United States The territory of the United States and its overseas possessions has evolved over time , from the colonial era to

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814-497: The early 1920s, was the Cooler. Although built for solitary confinement, each cell contained 4–6 men. The second section, known as Siberia, was built in 1926 and housed twelve 3-by-8-foot (0.9 m × 2.4 m) cells, with one inmate per cell. Cell House 4 (1952) was the largest and most modern cell house at the penitentiary. Some inmates painted their cells and left drawings on the walls that can be seen today. Cell House 5 (1954)

851-406: The early territorial legislatures, which often clashed with the appointed Republican territorial governors. The political infighting became particularly vicious in 1867 when Governor David W. Ballard asked for protection from federal troops stationed at Fort Boise against the territorial legislature. By 1870, however, the political infighting had decreased considerably. In 1868, the areas east of

888-659: The first town linked in northern Idaho in 1874. The first telephone call in the Pacific Northwest was made on May 10, 1878, in Lewiston. Although forming a sizable minority, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Idaho were held in suspicion by others in Idaho. By 1882, notable and powerful Idahoans successfully disenfranchised members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints voters in Idaho Territory, citing their illegal practice of polygamy . Idaho

925-471: The mines. As Idaho approached statehood, mining and other extractive industries became increasingly important to its economy. By the 1890s, for example, Idaho exported more lead than any other state. Construction began on the Idaho Territorial Prison in 1870 and was completed by 1872. The prison was in use by the territory, then the state until 1973. The Old Idaho State Penitentiary was placed on

962-558: The north-central portion of the territory at White Bird Canyon in June 1877, and concluded four months later in eastern Montana Territory at Bear Paw . After the capital relocation controversy, proposals to split the two regions became widespread. For the rest of the decade, Idaho Territory was nearly legislated out of existence. In 1885, the Idaho legislature published a bipartisan memorial to Congress asking for northern Idaho to be returned to Washington Territory. There were two attempts during

999-571: The only governmental authority in the listed areas, although they often co-existed with civil governments in scarcely populated states and territories. Civilian administered "military" tracts, districts, departments, etc., will be listed elsewhere. During the American Civil War, the Department of the Pacific had six subordinate military districts: The Department of California (1858–1861) comprised

1036-470: The present day. It includes formally organized territories, proposed and failed states, unrecognized breakaway states , international and interstate purchases, cessions , and land grants , and historical military departments and administrative districts. The last section lists informal regions from American vernacular geography known by popular nicknames and linked by geographical, cultural, or economic similarities, some of which are still in use today. For

1073-617: The region (See Oregon Country ). By 1863, the area west of the Continental Divide that was formerly part of the huge Oregon Territory had been sundered from the coastal Washington Territory north of the young State of Oregon to the far west and the remnant of the Oregon Territory was officially "unorganized". Most of the area east of the Continental Divide had been part of the loosely defined Dakota Territory ending along

1110-430: The region's economy or climate. Old Idaho State Penitentiary From its beginnings as a single cell house, the penitentiary grew to a complex of several distinctive buildings surrounded by a 17-foot-high (5.2 m) sandstone wall. The stone was quarried from the nearby ridges by the resident convicts , who also assisted in later constructions. Less than two miles (3 km) southeast of downtown Boise,

1147-640: The southern part of the Department of the Pacific: California, Nevada, and southern part of Oregon Territory; merged into the Department of the Pacific as the District of California. The Department of Oregon (1858–1861) comprised the northern part of the Department of the Pacific: Washington Territory and Oregon Territory. These "territories" had actual, functioning governments (recognized or not): These are functioning governments created as

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1184-426: The warden's office, armory, visitation room, control room, and turnkey area. The False Front Building (1894–1895) held the commissary, trusty dorm, barber shop (1902–the 1960s), and hospital (originally the blacksmith shop, but was remodeled in 1912 and remained the prison hospital until the 1960s). The hospital was then converted into the social services office but burned down in the 1971 riot. The Dining Hall (1898)

1221-621: Was able to achieve statehood some six years before Utah, a territory which had a larger population and had been settled longer, but was majority members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with voting polygamists. There were four thousand Chinese living in the Idaho Territory from 1869 to 1875. Like many Chinese immigrants , they came to "Gold Mountain" to work as miners, or found work as laundrymen and cooks. The 1870 census reported there were 1,751 Chinese in Idaho City who were nearly half of city residents. The Nez Perce War began in

1258-463: Was designed by George Hamilton (an inmate at the time) and burned down in the 1973 riot. Cell House 2 (1899), also known as the North Wing, contained two-man cells. A honey bucket was placed in each cell to serve as a toilet. Inmates burned the building in the 1973 riot. Cell House 3 (1899) was built the same as Cell House 2. It was eventually condemned for habitation, but in 1921 was converted into

1295-512: Was known as Idaho's Lady Bluebeard for killing several of her husbands to collect upon their life insurance. Serious riots occurred in 1952 (May 24), 1971 (August 10), and 1973 (March 7–8) over living conditions in the prison. The 416 resident inmates were moved to the new Idaho State Correctional Institution south of Boise and the Old Idaho Penitentiary was closed on December 3, 1973. Five years earlier in 1968, numerous prison trusties had escaped by walking away. In 1992,

1332-509: Was maximum security where the most unruly and violent offenders stayed. This building also served as a permanent place of solitary confinement. It includes a built-in gallows and " Death Row ." Although not a building, there is also an outdoor recreational area that is now the Idaho Botanical Gardens where inmates boxed and played baseball, basketball, handball, tennis, horseshoes, and football. The baseball, and later softball, team

1369-537: Was named The Outlaws and frequently played teams from across the Treasure Valley . A baseball stadium was located in what is now referred to as "Outlaw Field" where the Botanical Gardens hosts outdoor concerts. The prison cemetery is located in the Botanical Gardens. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 for its significance as a Territorial Prison. The site currently contains

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