Iowa is home to some pretty strange sights. For one, we’ve got a ton of world’s largest things… from rotating ears of corn, to cement bulls, to enormous fiberglass strawberries. Well, you can add country’s strangest jail to the list of weird Iowa attractions. The Pottawattamie Coutny Squirrel Cage Jail is one of only 3 rotary jails still standing, and it’s the largest and most historic. This odd jail is worth a visit!
Council Bluffs is home to all sorts of strange history, but perhaps none is so intriguing as the story of the Pottawattamie County Squrriel Cage Jail.
Tripadvisor / Iveach119
This three story jail was one of the few “rotary jails” built in the United States.
Flickr / Edward Stojakovich Each cage was shaped like a slice of pie, and a jailer would use a crank to turn the cells around. Unless they were lined up in a certain way, cells were unable to unlock.There were plenty of problems with this design. Namely, escape would be impossible in the event of a fire, and the crank mechanism could fail or get jammed, leaving inmates stuck with no way to get food, water, or leave their cells.
The conditions here were fairly bad. Inmates got their bed and a small toilet, and not much else.
Tripadvisor / LaNette H. If you tour the Squirrel Cage Jail today, you can see the cells for yourself. Of course, the Jailer’s office, Kitchen, Trustee offices and a Women’s quadrant were kept separate from the rotary system.
Despite the flaws in the Rotary Jail system, the Pottawattamie County Squirrel Cage Jail stayed open through 1969.
Tripadvisor / Iveach119 Today, there are only three rotary style jails still standing, and the Pottawattamie County Jail is the largest of them all. Check out the video below to take a tour of the eerie Squirrel Cage jail:
The Squirrel Cage Jail is located at 226 Pearl St., Council Bluffs, IA 51503. You can tour the jail and museum during their open hours, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April through October.
Tripadvisor / Iveach119
Flickr / Edward Stojakovich
Each cage was shaped like a slice of pie, and a jailer would use a crank to turn the cells around. Unless they were lined up in a certain way, cells were unable to unlock.There were plenty of problems with this design. Namely, escape would be impossible in the event of a fire, and the crank mechanism could fail or get jammed, leaving inmates stuck with no way to get food, water, or leave their cells.
Tripadvisor / LaNette H.
If you tour the Squirrel Cage Jail today, you can see the cells for yourself. Of course, the Jailer’s office, Kitchen, Trustee offices and a Women’s quadrant were kept separate from the rotary system.
Today, there are only three rotary style jails still standing, and the Pottawattamie County Jail is the largest of them all. Check out the video below to take a tour of the eerie Squirrel Cage jail:
For more ideas about strange, off-the-wall spots to tour in Iowa, read 10 Unique Museums In Iowa That You Must Visit At Least Once
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