Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 1952 History of Utah State Prison 1850-1952 James B. Hill Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the History Commons, and the Mormon Studies Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Hill, James B., "History of Utah State Prison 1850-1952" (1952). Theses and Dissertations. 4791. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4791 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. g 4 47 HISTORYOF 0 UTAH STATE PRISON 185019521850 1952 A thesis irePrepresentedseated to the faculty of the department of history brigham young university provo utah lain partial fulffulfillmentbulfillmentwillment of the requirements for the degree master of science in history 171833 by james B hill june 1952 PREFACEPHKPACE down through the ages men with the insatiable desire to know and record truths of the past have been responsible for the many historical volumes that we enjoy today only lovers of history can fully appreciate the thoughts that arise in the mind of a student of history as he stands and gazes upon relics and ruins of the past in 1943 the writer first visited the old sugarhouse prison iain salt lake city and was intrigued with the old build- ings surrounded by high stone walls two years later he stood on a smasmallsmail11 hill east of the priprisonlsonisonallsaliswailswallsw aadand beheld fforfonor the time a potters where unclaimedua bodies of inanmanyy first field the claimed i dead criminals lay buried As he walked among the crude head- stones many of which bore no identifying name he was possessed1possessed with a great desire to know the history of the prison its former employees and the men who made its co- stnstructionruction aecesaecusnecessarysarysany the real purpose of this thesis is to present a generalgeneraigenerah i history of utah state prison in order that a record of that institution may be preserved this phase of utah history has long been neglectedaegleoteds it is hoped that a contribution has also been made to a better understanding of utahs penal system in order to present the most comprehensive study of the subject the writer explorede XPlored a number of sources of iii information among the methods employed were letter writing personal interviews and library reseresearcharchearcho through letter writing several interviews were arranged that resulted in obtaining much valuable information letters were written to the national archives to tamesjames V bennett director of bureau of prisons and to senator arthur V watkins requesting their services in uncovering information on the history of the prison they were most cooperative personal interviews as a means of research proved to be very successful A list of the people interviewed is found in the bibliography the card catalogs in the libraries visited by the writer contained very few references on utah state prison thus a great deal of reading and searching through old Aiapiariesaiariesdiariesariesarlesnewspapers periodicals and history books was neces- sary to find dentpertpentpertinentineat information the writer was successful in obtaining microfilm of isevisaevseveraleralecaledal unpublished manuscripts containing much useful inform- ation on the subject from the libraries of the university of utah aandnd the university of california the writer gratefully extends his thanks to his thesis committee professors brigham DOD madsen and owen L babarnettrnett for their encouragement guidance aadand kind assistance thanks alsoaisogoes to professor it B swensen aadand other members of the history department for their part in developing the writers interest in history utah state prison guards were cooperative in giving information especially interested in seeing a history of the m iv prison written was mr ray haueter identification officer at utah state prison appreciation is kindly extended to himhimehimo the writer wishes to extend a special thanks to A michael mcgeemcg ee who loaned him a personal copy of an unpublished manuscript with valuable information on the history of utah state prison since statehood the writer owes a special debt of gratitude to the members of the staff at brigham young university library for their help and suggestions on research problems april 28 1952 brigham young university JJBHbhebho v r PABLETABLEnable OF CONTENTS page LIST OF appendices viii aistalstFISTILIST OFOT PLATES ix chapter I1 I1introductionT RODUCTION forerunnersforeyorerunners of modern prisons prison reforms in america the Pennsylvapennsylvaniaalaaiania plan the auburaauburn system the end of lathl9th19th century tactics in prisons in utah II11 JUSTICE IN EARLY UTAH 6 bishopbishops courts nonmormonnon mormoamormonmoamoa emigrants the code of the mountainsMouatmountains first executions in utah territory territorial GoveovernmentgovernmentG ramentcament in utah trouble between fefedderaldenalera judges aadand mormons AND liiIII111 0 PRISON SITES PRISONS 0 0 39 ADprovalapproval of appropriation for building a penitentiary inutahin utah territory frisonprison ready fforor use in 1841854 but not completed dilapidated condition of prison plans for a new prison on antelope island US marshal takestaileseakes possession of prison territorial territorial prisoners lived iain rented buildbuildingsings portable iron ceilscells new buildings in 1885 prison propprogpropertyerty inherited by state of utah in 1896 new ceilcellhouse and many improvementimprovementss 1917 authorization for new prison to be built at point of mountain 1937 vlvi chapter page the new prison under Constructconstructionioaionlon transfer from sugarhouseSagarsugarhouse prison to point of mountain igiigl1911951 lvaivolyaIV UTAH penitentiary BEFORE STATMOODSTATEHOOD 66 governing body of penitentiary the first wardens education of prisoners convict liborlabor escapes 5 troubles with the army and federal judges US marshal takes over utah penitentiary united statesstatos penitentiary unjust Treattreatmentmeatment of mormons polygamist in the penitentiary penal practice of united states penitentiary 7 UTAH staesSTATSSTATE PRISON SINCESINGE STATEHSTATEHOODOOD 99 utah state inherits united states penitentiary property governing officials of utah state prison wardenswa rd ens rules escapes riots work projects female prisoners rehabilitation religious activities prison school paroles and probations finances bibliography1 134 PPENDIOESiappskdioes 140 i LATESPLATES 149 vii appendices appendixAppeadix page A executions during territorial days and since statehood 141 boB A record of the prisoners received and discharged at utah penitentiary fronfrom 1851855 to 1878 0 0 0 0 6 6 0 0 0 0 145 CG financial report on utah penitentiary 186418751864 1875 146 doD record of prisoners 189619501896 1950 147 viii LIST OF elatesPLATSSPLATES page tlatealateplate Iib1 figfigs 1 utah territorial peniteritiapenitentiaryry 1880 150 figig 2 administrative building of the old sugarhouse prison 1945 II11 john leighty aadand family1899family 1899 leighty was serving time fforfonor polygamy 0 0 0 0 0 151 iliillIII111 methods of treatment of incorrigibles at utah state prison these methods of punishment were abandoned a number of years ago 9 0 0 0 152 fige 1lo10 inside view of a discipline cell for incorrigibles this cell was located in the basement of number three cell block at the old sugar- house prison fibfig 2 two views of the hole 11 a cell used for solitaryconfiaementsolitary confinement of incorrigibles it was located in the prison yard between the machine shop au two and numbernumber1 abermber ceileeliblock of the old sugarhousesugarsugani house prison IV figefigo 1 viewlookingview looking east along the north wall of the old sugarhouse prison the view reveals a portion of number one celloell block 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 153 fig 2 west wagon gate eatrancetraneeentrance to the old sugarhouse prison fig 3 sugarhouse prison potterfield it lies just southeast of the east waliwallwailwaliewallo VsV figrigfige I1 improvised hook used by convicts in their attempt to escape over the wall of the old sugarhouse prison 193219320 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 154 fig 2 HEL jorgenson prison guard search- ingaing a dradrainageinage culvert near vicinity of sugarhouse prison for an escaped convict 1940 ix plate page VI old sugarhouse prison in process of bebeingiag torn down 155 figpig 1 view of number two cell block and yard figfigtfeigt 2 minimum security cell block on the left and maximum caritysecuritysieSve cell block on the right fig 3 the building iain the foreground was used by the old sugarhouse prison as a barber shop shoe repair shop and laundry VII figitigt 1 view of the prison ffarllfarlafariaarnarm and the new state frprisonisonlson 0 0 156 fig 2v2av view of the new utah state prprison3 son looking west from highway 91 figig 3 view of a cell in the new state prison z CHAPTER I1 introduction the term prisons as used in this thesis refers to institutions built for the express purpose of housing offenders committed by due process of law the forerunners of modern prisons were the workhouseworkhousess2sa wwhich bebegangan to appear toward the last of the lathl6th16th centarycentury in europe the workhouses were used not to imprison feloaceloafelonss but to incarcerate debtors vagrants and hauperspauperspaupers