Oklahoma Journeys
Week of January 20, 2008
Official Transfer of Oklahoma Prisoners from Kansas to McAlester, January 28, 1909
Oklahoma as a territory and state did not always have a place to house criminals. For several years, the State of Oklahoma leased prison space from the Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing, and the dramatic end of that practice is the topic of this week’s Oklahoma Journeys from the Oklahoma Historical Society.
From the Oklahoma Historical Society, this is Oklahoma Journeys. I’m Michael Dean.
In the territorial years of Oklahoma, and even for a few years after statehood, the lack of an official state or territory prison did not mean there weren’t any criminals in the area. In fact, because of the loose and often ineffective efforts at law enforcement, the area that is now Oklahoma tended to attract the criminal element. The question of “what to do with a growing number of apprehended criminals” was answered when the Territory and then the State of Oklahoma began leasing prison space from the Kansas penitentiary in Lansing. For around 35 cents a day, the state of Kansas would house, feed and clothe Oklahoma prisoners.
Following statehood for Oklahoma in 1907, Kate Barnard was elected Commissioner of Charities and Corrections. She became the first woman in the history of the United States to occupy that role. Hearing allegations of prisoner abuse in Kansas, Kate Barnard traveled to Lansing to investigate and, without revealing her identity, joined a group that was touring the facility. On her visit she saw that it was the Oklahoma prisoners that performed the most dangerous or difficult tasks required at the prison. The Kansas penitentiary operated their own on-site coal mine, and it was here that most of the Oklahoma prisoners were forced to work. Also alleged were incidents of preferential treatment of Kansas prisoners and inhumane punishments including the water cannon and the confining solitary box known as “the crib.”
Following her tour Kate Barnard revealed her identity to the warden and demanded that improvements be made regarding the treatment of the Oklahoma prisoners. Barnard’s report to the Oklahoma legislature sparked quick action and within months work started on Oklahoma’s own state facilities. The city of McAlester was selected for the location for the new Oklahoma State Penitentiary, and construction was promptly begun.
It was in this week of 1909 that the construction of the new pen in McAlester was complete, and it was ready to open. The Oklahoma prisoners were removed from the Kansas Penitentiary, reportedly with lots of cheering and singing, and were taken to McAlester. The resulting population loss for the Kansas state penitentiary meant the closing of the coal mine and several other industries. With only their own inmates available now, the state of Kansas opted to close down the mine rather than continue with the operation. With the appointment of Barnard as Charities and Corrections Commissioner and the quick action regarding prisoner reform, Oklahoma, in 1909, made good on its new reputation as a progressive forward thinking state.
You can learn more about law and order in Oklahoma and see an actual early day prison uniform and other artifacts from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary by visiting the Oklahoma History Center on NE 23rd Street just east of the state capitol in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma Journeys is a production of the Oklahoma Historical Society, dedicated to the collection, preservation and sharing of our state’s past. I’m Michael Dean.