Squirrel Cage Jail

Found this place in an effort to get out of the cold. It's right next door to the train museum so we got to kill two birds with one stone. We took the self guided tour. They gave us a handout to explain the rooms and history. You can walk into some of the cells and rooms.

We were in Omaha for a wedding this weekend and since we didn't have to be there til the late afternoon we decided to kill some time by coming to check this place out- and I'm totally glad we did! The admission is only ten bucks, and it's a pretty cool old piece of history to check out and learn all about! Plus the staff was super duper friendly, i definitely recommend this place

An interesting place to go. We were looking for something to see with the family. We all left talking about it through dinner.

Fun for the family. I think everyone could fine this place interesting. I can't wait to bring friends and family here. The whole experience was great. We went on a weekend. It wasn't very busy. We parked and paid in the courthouse lot.

I was very interested in scoping out the history of this type of jail and getting a feel for how the prisoners lived. You can move in and out of the jail cells and read all about the cases that put the most notorious criminals behind bars, along with their pictures- some of which are really creepy. I had hoped to sense something in the air from a disembodied spirit... and while exploring the 2nd floor and walking very slowly, I did feel my legs wobble a bit, like they were unsteady. The two docents really made this place special by making sure I got my fill of interesting historical tidbits and making sure I was enjoying myself. -Stef in L.A.

This was a very interesting site. The jail was the safest jail setup. It did not have an escape the entire time it was in operation. It was a multilevel jail in the heart of downtown Council Bluffs. The staff are friendly and the concept of a squirrel cage design was very progressive. The cost to tour is $7 per person and it was interesting enough to give it a try...

THIS IS A MUST STOP. If you are ever close to Omaha, NE, you have to try to come and see this jail. If you like unusual buildings and architecture, this is worth a dedicated trip to see.Officially it is called the Pottawattamie County Jail built in 1885. they say 18 were built and only 3 remain in the world. It cost $30,000 then which is about $650,000 today. It is a rotary jail. The entire jail is on a turntable. A jailer turns the squirrel cage where all the prisoners are by a hand crank. It takes 5 min to rotate the whole cage one revolution. There is only one opening out of the cage so the prisoners can only come out one at a time at each of 3 levels. Its like a toothpick dispenser with a hole. They put up to 6 people in an area no larger than a small walk in closet.Totally fascinating and its a very "dark "place to visit. You can feel the gloom and depression that must have been rampant there. No wonder it's popular at Halloween.

So unique!! We went during a haunted tour and our guide was so knowledgeable about the history. I want to go back in the daytime and read the articles posted around the jail. If you get the show ghost adventures you may want to watch their episode about this jail before going!! If you aren't a laid back museum goer this may not be thrilling enough of a place for you.

This place was so much fun! I love learning about true crime so this was right up my alley. Our guide was a retired cop who had great stories to tell us. The tour was awesome, getting to see the original writings from criminals in their cells was so cool. It was pretty creepy and scary too. I truly enjoyed my experience and would recommend it to anyone!

We went to visit the squirrel cage prison today and found it very interesting. It is one of four remaining in the US.It's fascinating as we learned the design was intended, so that a single person could operate the prison. The prison could house up to 2 people.As for the facility, it can become cramped with smaller passages, so I would not suggest it if you were claustrophobic.Today there was a docent staff of 4 people and the woman who gave us the tour was very nice. She was knowledgable and made the trip enjoyable.The cover charger was $7 per adult which goes toward the preservation and maintenance of the facility.For me, one of the interesting highlights was the solitary confinement cell. It is basically closet space with bars. The prisoner was forced to stand up the entire time when in solitary.