Last summer, my husband took me on a marvelous trip to Colorado to celebrate our 30th anniversary. One of the things we did on this trip was to drive up to this historic town of Silverton. I love communities that take preservation seriously, and walking through Silverton was like walking back in time.
One of the most interesting places we visited was the old jailhouse. They turned this building into a wonderful museum, and I learned some fascinating history that I found quite surprising.
From 1874-1902, five jails were constructed in Silverton as the mining town grew and evolved. The first one-room cell was built of logs from native timber, the second was made from mortared stone. During the 1880’s wooden jails were constructed in other small mining communities throughout San Juan County. They were mainly used as holding cells until the prisoners could be transported to the county jail in nearby Silverton. Many of these smaller jails had no on-site supervision. The prisoners were checked on only at meal times and at “lights out,” making it easy for them to plan and implement escapes. Escapes became such a problem, that the county invested over $12,000 in 1902 to build a state-of-the-art escape and fire proof brick and limestone jail. This building is still standing today, and is the one I had the pleasure of touring.
The first room we entered was the Jail office. The office was strategically placed to provide both maximum security and efficient daily monitoring. The metal staircase to the left leads to the second floor where the cell block was located. The photo shows the family of Alvin and Ida Kramer. Alvin was the sheriff from 1905-1912.
One of the most surprising things about this jail to me was the fact that it was basically a home on the bottom floor. The sheriff’s family didn’t actually live here, but they spent the majority of their daytime hours here. The wife would cook meals in the kitchen for the prisoners as well as her family. There was even a parlor for relaxation and for the younger children to play in.
Directly to the left of the jailor’s office was a special cell separated from the mail block upstairs. This cell was for insane inmates . . . or women. Notice the pass-through in the wall where food could be delivered from the kitchen. It is currently decorated more as a typical Victorian era bedroom, so I imagine it was much sparser in its heyday. However, remember Ida Kramer from the photo above? She actually gave birth to her fourth child in the women’s cell.
As we moved through the downstairs room, we came to the family room followed by the parlor.
These family rooms are probably dressed up a little more than they would have been back in 1902. Yet the furniture was typical of that time period.
See the beautiful crystal in the display case? There is a scandalous story behind that set. The collection of fine crystal originally belonged to Mrs. Johnson of Silverton. She worked as a prostitute in one of the houses of ill-repute on the infamous Blair Street. Many of her clients knew that she loved cut crystal, so they purchased individual pieces as gifts for her, which explains why this is not a matched set. Then she died in 1930, her collection was packed into three oak barrels containing sawdust for shipping to her relatives in Boston. However, her family could not afford the $25 for shipping. The barrels were purchased sight unseen by William A. Way, the town attorney, so that the collection could remain in Silverton.
Next came the kitchen. Prisoners of the county jail were served three meals a day, prepared by the jailor’s in a kitchen built with all the modern amenities including running water, icebox, and large wood cookstove with bread warmer.
Finally, we moved upstairs to the main cell block. This was created as a free-standing steel unit and was centered in the room to provide a corridor on all sides. There are four six-foot square cells facing a common area that contained a toilet an sink. The jailor controlled the doors with mechanical levers, allowing prisoners to use the toilet facilities one at a time while keeping other doors locked. All the cells could hold as many as 6 canvas hammocks, making for close quarters when the jail was filled to capacity.
My husband gave me the sad puppy eyes, so I decided to help him escape.
How would you feel about being married to the sheriff and being responsible for feeding the prisoners and raising your children in a criminal environment?
For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Karen is a firm believer in the power of happy endings. . . and ice cream. She is an avid cross-stitcher, and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.
IF it provided a good life, I would have no [problem. You have to cook anyway.
I love your practical mindset, Debby! Though, I would probably dread the days when the jail was full. 🙂
I think I’d prefer him to have a different profession.
I hear you, Denise. I like heroic lawmen as heroes in books, but I would be a wreck if my husband was facing down hardened criminals all the time. And I don’t think I’d be too excited about having my children in the same building on a regular basis.
I also would prefer not to have a husband with such a dangerous job, although many jobs at that time were dangerous such as mining and ranching. I also would not prefer to cook for multiple people. I am not much for entertaining.
You’re right about there being danger involved in many of the jobs available in the 19th century, Judy. I hope they paid the sheriff’s wife for all that cooking. Probably didn’t, but that must have been a full-time job in itself.
Since working for Law Enforcement for the last 15 years I would say NO way – and working for the women’s prison for 15 months before that – well I do prefer this side of the law!
Excellent perspective, Teresa. And we are all glad you’re on the right side of the law. 🙂
Hi, I don’t think I would like that, especially having to raise my children there, it would be a little scary, so I don’t think I would want to be the sheriffs wife if I had to do that. Many years ago I went to Silverton and got on the train to Durango, that was a very nice ride. We lived in NM at the time and my husband was working in a Uranium Mine at the time. Thank you for sharing this, I would love to visit there sometime. Have a great day and a great rest of the week. I enjoyed reading your post.
Thanks, Alice. We got to ride the train between Silverton and Durango, too. Such a beautiful ride. I love mountains and rivers and trees. Just gorgeous!
Wow! What an interesting place to visit. I don’t think I would like having to cook for all the prisoners and raise my kids in the jailhouse. Hopefully the experience would make them want to stay on the right side of the law, but I imagine they were exposed to a lot of things that were not ideal.
Thanks, Christy. I have to wonder if there were any dares among siblings to sneak upstairs when Daddy wasn’t looking.
I don’t think I would like that very much. Not a good place to raise kids around smelly, trash talking, violent criminals.
I agree, Connie. The upper level was like an entirely different world from the homey bottom level, but I’m sure those walls weren’t sound proof.
Karen, I would love to see this! I think it would’ve been difficult giving birth in the jail and having the prisoners right there. I imagine a lot of sheriff’s wives did though. Love the cut crystal story. ha! Very interesting and I enjoyed the blog.
Thanks, Linda. History never ceases to surprise me. 🙂
It certainly would be different. Depending on what charges of those in the cell block, I would be concerned for my children being in such close proximity. I certainly would not want to give birth in the jail. I know things are a lot different since back then. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
I agree, Debbie. I wouldn’t be too keen on having my children there.
Such things are always interesting. Arrow Rock, Missouri has a tiny cell where the criminals were placed. Not a jail the way people think, but a small cell with no features. If you are ever in Missouri, I recommend Arrow Rock as a must see. A town that fell asleep in the late 1800s.
Thanks for the recommendation! I love finding hidden historical gems like that. 🙂
welcome I would love being married to a sheriff. I would enjoy feeding the prisoners’. I would have a chance to share Jesus love
What a lovely perspective, Lori. I bet you would bring blessing to many!
Fixing the meals for the inmates would not be an issue. If you are cooking a meal for a family, it is really not that hard to increase the amount. As for the children, the inmates were upstairs, so the children would likely be exposed to the noise from some of the inmates as well as the disruption of inmates being brought in or released. Since most of comings and goings were planned, one could try to have the children elsewhere during those times. Unless the inmates were particularly rowdy, I wouldn’t think it wouldn’t be a problem most of the time.
All good points, Patricia. As with any situation, a creative mind will find a way to make the best of things. 🙂
We’ve been to Silverton on one of our Colorado vacations, too! It was a cool little place! I don’t want to do that sort of thing now, but back in those days, if my hunky hubby was a sheriff, well, of course I would support him in every way I could!
Love it, Lana! The right man would certainly be worth a little extra work. 🙂 And just think, you probably wouldn’t be asked to host the monthly quilting bee at your house. Ha!