It started on the kind of blustery early spring day only the ranges of Montana could produce.

April 16th, 1959, around 3:00 p.m. began Montana’s most notorious prison riot, lasting a tumultuous thirty-six hours into April 18th. Masterminded by recidivist Jerry Myles and his partner Lee Smart, the rioters managed to capture 26 hostages (including the Warden himself) and murder the Deputy Warden, Theodore (Ted) Rothe.

With assistance from the brave men of the local National Guard, machine guns, and a bazooka that you can still see scars from today, the powers that be were able to regain control of the prison, but not without two more deaths being added to the toll. Still disputed today as to how their final moments carried out, Jerry Myles and Lee Smart were found dead in the high reaches of the Death Tower in a most gruesome manner.

The riot made headlines as far as England and left a lasting impression on not only the community of Deer Lodge, but the state of Montana as a whole. I won’t give you the entire history lesson here, as I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy of the book Jerry’s Riot by Kevin S. Giles. It is one of the most enthralling reads I have come across to date and inspired me to create what you will see below.

My hope with this project is to tell, to the best of my ability, the story of the riot through my lens using only one roll of 35mm film (36 exposures). I realize that only those who have a deep understanding of this particular grain of sand in history's hourglass will be able to make out what the photos represent, but I assure you each has its meaning and place in the timeline, just as we all do in this world.

For a little context, I first visited the Old Montana State Prison as a seventh grader on my Montana State History trip many moons ago, and as you can probably tell, it had a lasting impact on me. I continue to dwell inside its imposing sandstone walls to this day, trying to visit at least once a year. July 2nd, 2026, is an important day; it was not chosen at random to publish this labor of love, but is the 155th anniversary of the prison opening.

And if I may add one last encouragement: visit the Old Montana State Prison Complex. Donate and support it however you can. The gritty, bloody, and dark moments of our history are the only way we can learn, and as uncomfortable as they may be, they matter and must be protected for the next generations to remember, educate, and progress.