Baker in Fallon County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Fallon County Jail
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 12, 2020
1. Fallon County Jail Marker
Inscription.
The completion of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad line through this area in 1908 brought an influx of homesteaders, increasing the demand for county services. Simultaneously, the Progressive Movement in Montana sparked a county splitting craze. An acrimonious battle soon erupted between Ekalaka, Baker, and Wibaux for designation as county seat of the recently formed Fallon County. In 1915, the Montana Supreme Court upheld the election of Baker as county seat and the county commissioners took immediate steps to build a permanent courthouse and county jail. The commissioners worked to act quickly to provide tangible proof that Baker was the political center of the county. The county contracted with the architectural firm of Link and Haire, who specialized in public buildings, to design a jail and heating plant to cost less than $9,000. The Craftsman style Fallon County Jail expresses the firms adaptability to smaller buildings and limited budgets. Gable-front porches supported by Doric columns of exposed aggregate protect the entrance. The first floor served as the sheriffs residence with a simple
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living space of plain woodwork and hardwood floors. The second floor housed the jail; one room had two cells for women and the other room had four cells for men. The cells were removed in 1974, but the second floor windows retain the original steel bars. Constructed in 1916, the jail well represents Montanas homestead era, incorporating Craftsman ideals of honesty and simplicity expressed in concrete and stucco. The OFallon County Museum opened in 1980.
Location. 46° 21.613′ N, 104° 16.545′ W. Marker is in Baker, Montana, in Fallon County. It is on South Main Street near West Lincoln Avenue, on the left when traveling north. The jail is now part of the O'Fallon Historical Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 723 South Main Street, Baker MT 59313, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 12, 2020
2. Fallon County Jail Marker
The marker is located at the right side of the entrance.
is in andspecifically outheast Montana in Custer Country. It is also in the American Mountain West, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, on the Great Plains, and specifically on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least one other marker is within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: After The Roundup (approx. 10½ miles away).
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 12, 2020
3. Fallon County Jail
Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 8, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 2,317 times since then and 76 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on January 8, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
