Construction of the prison began in 1888 and cell block A was completed in 1894. It opened in December 1901 and originally had a wooden stockade around the prison grounds. Needless to say, there were many prisoner escapes. The existing concrete walls and associated guard towers were finally completed in 1915 to prevent any more mass escapes. This tower is where a guard committed suicide. Many of the guards felt like they were the ones incarcerated.
