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The Town of Plains now officially has a jail, though it's unlikely criminals will be housed there. The Plains site has actually been the jail home since it was built in 1904 - Plains was incorporated in 1907 - but until last week it was actually owned by Sanders County.

In 2018, Plains Mayor Dan Rowan was looking up something on Montana Cadastral Mapping Project, a state operated Internet mapping system where a person can retrieve land information, when he came across the Horse Plains Jail on the corner of McGowan and Blake Streets and discovered that is was not owned by the town, but was Sanders County property. Rowan researched it further by calling the county Clerk and Recorder Office, which confirmed that it was a county asset.

He said that the Plains Town Council had been discussing budgeting funds to repair the jail. Though it's not on a main drive through Plains, it's still a minor tourism draw. A local contractor estimated that it would cost between $10,000 to $15,000 to repair the stone walls of the 116-year-old jail. However, Rowan said the council didn't want to pay for repairs if it was county property. The mayor talked with Commissioner Carol Brooker, who was also surprised it was owned by the county, but was in favor of transferring the property.

"I think everyone assumed it belonged to Plains and that's who should have it," said Brooker, a Plains resident. Brooker also said the county doesn't have the funds in the budget to fix the jail, but that she hopes the county will be able to chip in and help with repair funds. The jail underwent roof repairs two years ago with the labor provided by the Plains Lions Club. Studs Building & Home in Plains paid for half of the materials; the town paid the other half. Rowan, a Lions member helping with the repairs, said they found some solid boards from the old Owl Motel in Plains, which had been closed for several years and that were from about the same era as when the jail was built. The town wanted to retain the original look by removing the metal roof and putting it back in place once the wood was replaced.

The Plains attorney, Rich Gebhardt, drew up paperwork to transfer the property. The county attorney, Naomi Leisz, reviewed it and Sanders County Commissioner Tony Cox officially turned the stone building and the small lot it sets on over to the town on May 13 with no cost to the town.

J.A. McGowan donated the property to Missoula County, which had legal jurisdiction over Plains before Sanders County was established in 1905. Plains Chief of Police Shawn Emmett, who has researched much on the history of Plains, said work started on the jail in 1901. He said it was used for as a holdover or an annex for prisoners to be transported to Missoula. He wasn't sure when it stopped being used, but believes it was probably when the jail in Thompson Falls was constructed. The jail is a 12x17-foot stone building with two steel barred windows, a 300-pound steel door, and 20-inch thick walls. Inside is a 4.5x6.5-foot steel barred cell built in 1900 by the Van Dorn Iron Works Company of Cleveland. The cell has a steel floor to prevent prisoners from digging their way out of the cell, according to a placard inside the jail. There is also a woodstove and two cots inside.

Emmett has worked at the jail on several occasions, replacing glass in the two windows, helping to erect about 20 feet of split rail fence next to the jail, and cleaning up inside. He would like to get period type artifacts to display inside the jail and has already collected a chamber pot and a washbasin from the early 1900s. 

The jail is one of the oldest buildings in Plains. Emmett would like to get it designated a state and federal historical landmark. He said there are only five in Sanders County, including the Symes Hot Springs Hotel, the Thompson Falls Jail, and three houses in Thompson Falls. Emmett said that the jail could be a draw for tourists in Plains. "Every time I'm over there to do something and have the door open somebody comes by and wants to go in," said Emmett. Rowan wants to get a sign put up on Railroad Street directing people to the jail. He said he'd like to see it open more and doesn't think they'd need a person there while it's open.  

Rowan said the jail's stone structure needs extensive work and believes without the repairs it is in danger of collapsing. He said some of the walls are coming apart and drainage needs to be installed at the door, where water runs into the jail. He added that stone structures are especially vulnerable to earthquakes, especially old ones, like the jail. "Someday you could go over there and find the front wall on the ground and we don't want that," said Rowan.

"We're extremely pleased that the county commissioners saw fit to give this significant historical building to Plains," said Rowan. "We want the site to be accessible to the public and be there for the residents and visitors. It's been there over a hundred years and we'd like to see it a hundred more," he said.