Manufacturer unknown, this could be a 1930s, 1940s or even a 1950s gas pump. The design is art deco, probably to match art deco gas stations that began popping up from coast to coast in the 1930s. Like the other pump on display in the lobby of the
Old Montana State Prison Museum, this pump has been restored and is in excellent condition. It is also branded Texaco Fire Chief. The gas price indicated on the pump is 49.9¢, a whole lot more than gas would have cost in the '30s. Possibly that was the price when the pump was last in service.
Opened on July 2, 1871, the Montana State Prison at Deer Lodge housed its fair share of criminal types in the century plus that it was operational. Retired as a prison in the late 1970s, the complex has been opened to the public as a museum.
The prison was built in stages over many years, mostly by the convicts themselves, a good example of "hard labour". The present cell block was built in 1896, the prison wall was extended north in 1911 and a 400-man cell block built within in 1912, a theatre was built in 1918-1919, the administration building in 1930-1931, and dormotories, a storage building and a visitor centre were built between 1910 and 1930. A maximum security building, also used as a women's ward was built circa 1918.