This wooden jail was found within the walls of a frame house at 332 South Chicago Street in Hot Springs by William L. "Bud" Soper while he was demolishing the structure for salvage. It was donated to the city and moved to this site in April 1983. The jail is built of 2x4 lumber laid flat and nailed together with rows of #9 wire between the boards to discourage anyone from sawing through. After Calamity Jane gave a drunken exhibition on November 10, 1895, in the Bodega Saloon just down the street and tried to "borrow" a horse for a ride, Mayor C.W. Hargens "offered" her a night's lodging in the city jail. Local historian Helen Magee estimated that the jail was built in 1885 or 1886, and it is the oldest wooden jail in existence in South Dakota.

Photo: Susan Van Den Bosch

Photo: Susan Van Den Bosch

Photo: Susan Van Den Bosch

Photo: Susan Van Den Bosch

Photo: Susan Van Den Bosch

Hot Springs, South Dakota · USA