This oral history collection is comprised of interviews with fifteen former Old Idaho Penitentiary (Old Pen) guards between April and July of 1992. Idaho State Historical Society staff member Kathy Hodges conducted the interviews, the majority on site. She asked questions regarding the purpose of the prison, and whether the former guards believed that the Old Pen rehabilitated inmates. Topics include first memories of the job, how the guards ended up working there, escapes, daily routines, riots, contraband, memorable instances, physical layout of the site, wardens, and prison industry. Several of the former guards toured the grounds and discovered hidden memories of their time at the Old Pen.

These guards came from a wide variety of backgrounds, such as farming, law enforcement, and military service. Prior experience in prison work was a rarity among applicants. Ralph Elston found that he had a tough time finding a job at age 39 after leaving the military. For most of these men guarding inmates at the Old Pen came at a later point in their careers. New hires sometimes received formal training. Many learned simply by performing the daily routines of the prison. All were tested by inmates. Jim Howland talked about prisoners' attempts to stare him down, or wandering close to the outside walls (where they were not allowed) to see if he was paying attention.

Donald Dye related his feelings about prisoners' rights, stating that those rights "turned the prisons over to the inmates" (Dye, OH 1170). The guards maintained a position of authority only because the inmates allowed it. Ultimately, the inmates as well as the guards were held captive by the Old Pen. Ralph Elston agreed in a sense. He said, "down in that yard, you can't see anything other than tree tops, and that's kind of an eerie feeling. I mean, all these walls are also keeping you in as well as the inmates" (Elston, OH 1171) C. W. Vanderford agreed, stating that the guards knew the prisoners ran the yard. He talked about developing relationships with informants in order to stay abreast of potentially violent undercurrents. The sway of power was especially felt during riots. Several guards related the terrifying experience of being held hostage by inmates. Chet Stinnett was stabbed by an inmate. Frank Rigby received such a severe concussion that it forced him to leave the Old Pen after 29 years there.

To some extent, every interviewee discussed riots in the Old Pen. Jim Howland, a guard in the 1950s, stated that at one point inmates threatened to have a riot over the food. The warden, Lou Clapp, immediately replaced the cook to restore calm. Several other riots occurred, including the riot of 1971, in which guards were distracted so that Bill Burt could murder another inmate, William Butler. Bill Sanders and Chet Stinnett both discussed the discovery of the beaten and stabbed body. Guard Ralph Elston found the murder weapons, an iron bar and a kitchen paring knife, in an outside toilet. A final riot closed the Old Pen in 1973, and inmates were transferred to the New Pen.

Suicides, escape attempts, murder and execution are peppered throughout the interviews. Guards discussed preparations of executions, but stated without question that a hanging was not a cause for celebration. A power struggle existed between the inmates. An inmate's crime often determined the treatment he would receive from other inmates. Those charged with sex crimes were separated from others as other inmates despised and wished to hurt them. In general, guards segregated the non-white and homosexual inmates (including the Boys of Boise) from the rest of the prison population to quell violent outbursts.

The daily routines and operations of prison life dominated many interviews. The men talked about the location and details of each building on site, including many at Eagle Island, and their functions. (Pete Larson spent the majority of his interview talking about the work at Eagle Island and its eventual conversion to a state park.) One of the goals at the Old Pen was to be self-sufficient. Ira Gunn was the Director of Prison Industries in his time as a guard. Prison industries included welding, a shoe shop, tailor shop (they sewed all uniforms on site), sign shop, waterway markers, fly tying, purse making, leather goods, and typewriter repair. In the steel house, inmates made license plates. Inmates also built docks and rafts, repaired and upholstered cars, and maintained a flower garden and greenhouse. Interviewee Chesley Austin supervised the kitchen and bakery at the Old Pen in the 1960s, and had to work creatively to manage the food to save supplies and keep inmates happy with their daily meals. The majority of the interviewees talked about dining hall rules and interactions.

The cannery became the most popular place to work. Many inmates smuggled fruit and sugar to make "Squawky," a fermented beverage. It presented a constant problem. Austin once found a batch of Squawky made from potato peelings in a pair of hip boots in the bakery. Other guards talk about finding batches of Squawky in unusual places, such as light fixtures, and coming upon groups of intoxicated inmates.

Another part of the daily routine involved recreational, spiritual and educational opportunities. Inmates played basketball and baseball (on a team called the "Outlaws"), watched movies, participated in the chapel choir, and attended church. They watched TV and played cards in the dayroom. They could get a high school education and a couple years of college while incarcerated. The guards had free time as well at the Guard's House, located across the street from the Old Pen entrance, provided good living accommodations for the guards. They had natural hot water for baths, good beds, and good food prepared by cons that were outside trustees. Each guard had their own apartment upstairs. The Old Pen supplied clothing and bedding. In their free time, guards would sit around playing cards, cribbage, and talk to one another.

All of the men had varying opinions on the purpose of the Old Pen. Former guard Roy Groom called it a warehouse for inmates, wherein a prisoner could not be rehabilitated until he wanted to be. He stated that it was up to the inmates to take advantage of opportunities, such as learning a trade, though not many did. Chelsey Austin felt that every inmate had someone else to blame for their time spent in the Old Pen, though he stated that the majority of inmates released from the Old pen were truly rehabilitated. As chairman of the Board of Corrections, Roger Bryer determined which prisoners were eligible for parole. His main job included direction of the prison and its inmates. He believed a prison to be a place of punishment. Yet he advocated teaching prisoners a trade to assist them in gaining skills necessary to support themselves back out in society. He believed that individuals he called "do-gooders" brought more harm than good to the prison system. Frank Rigby stated that he believed 95% of the inmates were there to do their time and get out. Hardcore, incorrigible criminals made up the rest.

Through these sixteen interviews it becomes evident that the inmates at the Old Pen and those men guarding them had similar life experiences. In many cases, the difference between the guards and the inmates was simply a matter of luck. Given those circumstances, those men behind the bars had good examples to work from in order to navigate a successful path outside prison walls.