The Old Idaho State Penitentiary has received more attention than usual in the past year or so, mainly because it has become a place of interest for those who find the idea of ghosts and hauntings intriguing. The crew of Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures filmed an episode at the Old Idaho State Penitentiary in October of 2008, increasing the popularity of the site. Currently listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, the Old Idaho State Penitentiary began operating as a prison in 1870, and housed prisoners for more than a century.
During tours of the facility, as well as in the Ghost Adventures investigation, attention is typically focused on the prisoners of The Old Idaho State Penitentiary. While learning about the previous inmates of the prison can be interesting, learning about the individuals who actually worked at the Old Idaho State Penitentiary can be equally engrossing, as I found out a few months ago when touring the site with my family.
While walking the grounds of the Old Idaho State Penitentiary, my family and I were lucky enough to bump into the family of Mr. Delmar Last, who were touring the grounds themselves as Mr. Last recounted his experiences as a very young man working as a prison guard at the facility. Mr. Last, as well as his daughter and granddaughter, were kind enough to allow me, my husband, and our children to listen in as he remembered what it was like to be a guard at the Old Idaho State Penitentiary in the early 1940’s.
Mr. Last, who was only 22 years old when he began working at the Old Idaho State Penitentiary, shared several stories with us. He spoke of two young brothers who were once incarcerated at the prison. He also described how part of his job was to sit in a spot overlooking the dining room with a gun that had the ability to gas the inmates if trouble broke out. Mr. Last told us also of a particular inmate who seemed to be the target of other prisoners who would often try to purposely get him sent to isolation, just for the fun of it.
And while his stories were very interesting to me, what I noticed most was the hint of sadness in his voice as he spoke. Maybe he didn’t notice it himself, but his empathy and compassion for the suffering that he witnessed at the prison was evident to the strangers listening to his words. This was not a man boasting about his time as a prison guard; not someone looking for acknowledgement. Several times, after recounting yet another story about some random prisoner, Mr. Last would divert his eyes to the concrete under his feet and say softly, “I felt bad for the guy.
Undoubtedly, I heard some intriguing stories that day. But what I’ll remember most is Mr. Last’s demeanor. I can’t help but think that, during his time as a very young man working as a prison guard, he likely understood that some inmates were suffering far more than their petty misdeeds warranted. It seems he also likely tried to divert some of that suffering when possible.
Delmar Last turned 84 in August of this year, and although his days working at the Old Idaho State Penitentiary are long behind him, clearly the memories have not faded very much. Because of our chance meeting, I will forever associate that prison with the idea that small acts of compassion and kindness are never wasted, especially when bestowed upon those whom society casts away. Mr. Last, know that although your service at the Old Idaho State Penitentiary is long over, your ability to teach valuable life lessons to those you encounter there, clearly is not.
