Posted in Iowa History February 27, 2016 by Michaela Kendall

Most People Have No Idea What This Old Iowa Jail Used To Do To Its Inmates

Back in 1885, the city of Council Bluffs decided that a regular jail wasn’t going to cut it – they needed more security. So they built the ultimate, escape-proof jail, which is now known as the Squirrel Cage Jail.

At the time of its construction, the jail cost $28,000 - the modern day equivalent of about $4 million.

The jail was a revolutionary design - literally. The jail was made up of several pie-shaped cells that actually revolved inside of a cage.

There were several purposes for the revolving prison cells. Number one was that it made it easy for the warden to take care of each prisoner one at a time by revolving their cell over to face him. Second, it was virtually impossible to escape this jail. The constant revolving of the cells made it impossible for inmates to file their way out like they would be able to in a stationary cell. Second, they could only get out once their door had been revolved to the exit, where the warden would be waiting for them.

Although the design was cutting edge at the time, there turned out to be several issues with the jail. On at least one occasion, a prisoner ripped out the toilet and crawled through the sewage line to freedom.

Another issue was that if an inmate stuck a hand or a foot out as the cell was revolving, it would be ripped off. A third issue was that if the weight of the prisoners wasn't evenly distributed, the motor that revolved the cells would go out, leaving prisoners trapped without food, water, or medical attention.

Needless to say, this once revolutionary design was eventually retired in preference for a modern jail layout, with the last prisoners leaving in 1969. But the jail has since been preserved and turned into a museum, where visitors can see what life was like for the prisoners of the Squirrel Cage Jail.

To find out more about the jail, including rumors about it being haunted, check out the video below!