Squirrel Cage Jail

A history of the 1885 "Squirrel Cage" rotary cell jail in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and information about some of the colorful prisoners housed there over the years and their crimes.

Located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Pottawattamie Squirrel Cage Jail is a National Register of Historic Places landmark. Erected in 1885, it is one of only three rotary jails still in existence today. In Squirrel Cage Jail, author S. M. Senden relates the history of the iconic Squirrel Cage jail, from its construction and operation to its closing in 1969 and subsequent purchase by the Council Bluffs park board for preservation in 1971. According to Senden, preservation wasn't easy and was ultimately buoyed by a fundraising effort led by the local historical society. Senden also highlights local criminals as well as some of the jail's more infamous prisoners and shares local folklore relating to the jail's reputation for being haunted. She says, "I hope readers will be spellbound by one of the most fascinating and haunting places in Iowa." Squirrel Cage Jail is available for purchase online at Amazon.

From the outside it looks like a stately home. Inside, it's quite different. Just 18 rotary cell jails were ever build. Most were promptly condemned as unsafe and cruel, but the biggest one lasted the longest, its three story 90,000 pound rotating cell block serving as the Pottawattamie County jail in Council Bluffs, Iowa from 1885 until 1969. This book is the second in a series, exploring the conditions of local incarceration before the "squirrel cage" was built, and goes into detail of the crimes of some of those who called it "home" over the years.

America's rotary jails were patented in 1881 by Haugh, Brown, and Ketcham of Indianapolis, Indiana. They were promoted as one of the safest, securest of jail designs and claimed that their interiors of steel and iron were both "saw-proof and file-proof." The design ultimately failed on all accounts. There were multiple escapes, recorded incidents of injury and death, and at least one instance where the prisoners inside were shocked when a bolt of lightning struck nearby. That was at the Nodaway County jail. This book not only details the long and interesting history of the Nodaway County rotary jail, which I and my family lived in during my father's term as sheriff between 1977 and 1980, but it encapsulates the history of all five jails, to date, that Nodaway County has built and used.The Human Squirrel Cage, or rotary jail, located in Nodaway County, Missouri was the third jail of its kind constructed in the United States. There were only eighteen built, in total. The first completed was at Crawfordsville, Indiana, in January of 1882. The second was finished in July of 1882 in Paducah, Kentucky. The Nodaway County rotary jail aka Lazy-Susan jail or merry-go-round jail was finished in December of 1882. Missouri is the only state to have constructed three rotary jails. The rotary jail built in the Nodaway County seat of Maryville, was the first of its kind in the state, and the largest of those three. It was the last rotary jail in use as a jail in the country, standing for over 102 years and 1 month, even though its rotary cages stopped revolving and was fixed in place in 1932. Only three "human squirrel cages," as they became known, remain standing today. All three are museums. The first is located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The second is located in Gallatin, Missouri. The third is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Nodaway County rotary jail was razed in 1985 to make way for the jail in use today. I hope you enjoy reading the Human Squirrel Cage - Nodaway County's Rotary Jail as much as I have enjoyed working on this project.

Your round-trip ticket to the wildest, wackiest, most outrageous people, places, and things the Show-Me State has to offer! Whether you’re a born-and-raised Missourian, a recent transplant, or just passing through, Missouri Curiosities will have you laughing out loud as Josh Young takes you on a rollicking tour of the strangest sides of the Show-Me State. Wander with tigers at the world’s only big cat bed-and-breakfast, browse through America’s only corncob pipe museum, and swim in the world’s largest underground lake. Meet some crazy catfish-catching noodlers; a wacky-artwork-welding artist; and a pint-size, punch-packing former wrestling champ. Discover the fun of swinging sausages while you dance, and duel with dinosaurs—you’ll roar with delight!

The rotary jail was a very unusual architectural design. In response to a need for better control over prisoners, 18 of the revolving, escape-proof structures were erected in the United States from 1882 through 1889. There were problems. There were mechanical difficulties due to the extreme weight of the components. Unwary prisoners lost digits or limbs when carousels were rotated without warning--one lost his life. Because inmates could only be let out of their cells one at a time, some rotary jails were closed as fire hazards. This book describes in detail their construction, operation and eventual demise, as well as some of the colorful inmates that were held in them.

Iowa's Great Highway Before there was Route 66, there was the iconic Lincoln Highway. A symbol of limitless potential, America's first coast-to-coast highway spanned Iowa from the Mississippi River to the Missouri River. When you travel U.S. 30 across Iowa today, you're never far from the historic Lincoln Highway, if not right on top of it. Learn the history of an Iowa landmark.

Featuring photos and stories from the world's scariest prisons, discover why prison is to be avoided at all costs! World's Scariest Prisons will explore the most terrifying prisons of all time. From the Roman Coliseum to the Bastille, the Tower of London to Alcatraz, World's Scariest Prisons will captivate young readers! Each prison will receive its own photo-intensive overview as well as a sidebar, a break out fact box, and a quote. Each prison profile will be followed by a feature spread that explores high-interest topics such as prison slang, prison clothes, and prison food, as well as little known details about kids in prison, famous escapees, and ghost stories. World's Scariest Prisons will be equal parts informative and fun. Perfect for reluctant readers, the text will be simple and engaging.