A Million Celler

This book should be if it's not already. I'm blogging this afternoon about the NEXT book I'll be reading at Montana History up at the Marias Heritage Center here in Shelby. This tome (or should I say "tomb") is titled "Dark Spaces-Montana's Historic Penitentiary At Deer Lodge". The cover of Ellen Baumler's read with photographs by J. M. Cooper is enough to frighten the daylights out of you. Ellen is an interpretive historian at the Montana Historical Society in Helena while documentary photographer J. M. Cooper has been covering the vanishing Montana landscape for more than 30 years. In this collaborative documentary of this legendary prison, historian & author Ellen Baumler tells the physical & human tale of the troubled institution whose idyllic setting contrasts so violently with the history it holds. Talk about a motley crew...there are great photographs of some of the former inmates, male AND female, & I've seen friendly looking folks in a hostage crisis! And some of the women in here...they could be locked up for their looks alone! The pictures are fascinating, the story is frightening. I guess this is another example of "crime doesn't pay"! I invite you to check intriguing book out from the University of NEW MEXICO Press at: unmpress.com. Looking forward to seeing you this evening (Tuesday) at 6 at the Herigage Center as we draw the final curtain on Charlie & Nancy Russell. I've got even more to say about that woman(!) but that's another whole Puffman blog. Look for it later this week.