Jail tree
{{Short description|Tree used to incarcerate prisoners}}
File:Wickenburg-Jail Tree-1863.jpg
A jail tree is any tree used to incarcerate a person, usually by chaining the prisoner up to the tree. Jail trees were used on the American frontier in the Territory of Arizona, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; jail trees were also used in Australia.[http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2014/september/1409493600/anna-goldsworthy/voices-land "Voices of the land"], by Anna Goldsworthy, The Monthly, September 2014. A few jail trees survive to this day.
Examples
- Gleeson Jail Tree: A large oak tree in the ghost town of Gleeson, near Tombstone, Arizona. A thick metal cable and chain wrapped around the trunk of the tree was used with handcuffs to chain up prisoners. In use before the construction of the original wooden-frame jail building in 1909.{{Cite web|title=Gleeson: Arizona Ghost Town|url=http://www.explorecochise.com/Gleeson-Arizona-Ghost-Town|access-date=2016-07-16}}{{Cite web | title=Gleeson Arizona: Laws and Lawmen| work=Glenn Snow| url=http://www.gleesonarizona.com/HistoricalSketches/LawsAndLawmen.pdf| date=2009| access-date=2016-07-16}}
- Paradise Jail Tree: Pair of oak trees with a log chain stretched between them. Prisoners were shackled to the chain. Located in the ghost town of Paradise, Arizona.{{cite book|last=Murbarger|first=Nell|author-link=Nell Murbarger|title=Ghosts of the Adobe Walls|url=https://archive.org/details/ghostsofadobewal00murb|url-access=registration|year=1964|publisher=Treasure Chest Publications|page=[https://archive.org/details/ghostsofadobewal00murb/page/291 291]}}{{Cite web|title=Paradise - Arizona Ghost Town|url=http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/paradise.html|access-date=2016-07-16}}
- Ruby Jail Tree: Mesquite trees in the ghost town of Ruby, Arizona, used for chaining up prisoners sometime before the construction of the current concrete jail building in 1936.
- Wickenburg Jail Tree: 200-year-old mesquite tree with a chain and handcuffs for prisoners. Located in Wickenburg, Arizona, and in use between 1863 and 1890. Preserved for its historical association with the early-day Wickenburg mining camp.{{Cite web|title=Jail Tree: Wickenburg AZ – Official Site|url=http://www.ci.wickenburg.az.us/532/Jail-Tree|access-date=2016-07-16|archive-date=2016-08-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810011609/http://ci.wickenburg.az.us/532/Jail-Tree|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|title=Wickenburg's Jail Tree – Weird Arizona|url=http://www.weirdus.com/states/arizona/roadside_oddities/wickenburg_jail_tree/|access-date=2016-07-16|archive-date=2016-08-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822224748/http://www.weirdus.com/states/arizona/roadside_oddities/wickenburg_jail_tree/|url-status=dead}}
- Wyndham Boab Prison Tree: A large boab tree south of Wyndham, Western Australia that was used as a lockup for Aboriginal prisoners on the way to the town during the late 1890s. Unlike other jail trees, prisoners were held inside the boab's hollow trunk, though prisoners were also chained to the tree outside if there was no room inside. A similar tree in Derby was also thought to be used for the same purpose but there is no evidence to support its use as such.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51187088 |title=DANCE OF THE BOAB. |newspaper=The Australian Women's Weekly | date=2 February 1966 |accessdate=10 October 2022 |page=26 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}
Similar jails
File:Jail Post In Tubac Arizona 2016.jpg
File:Historic Jail In Arivaca Arizona 2017.jpg
- Arivaca Jail: A slab of concrete in the ground with two metal bars embedded in the center, where heavy log chains for the prisoners were attached. Located in the historic town of Arivaca, Arizona.{{cite book|last=Murbarger|first=Nell|title=Ghosts of the Adobe Walls|url=https://archive.org/details/ghostsofadobewal00murb|url-access=registration|year=1964|publisher=Treasure Chest Publications|page=[https://archive.org/details/ghostsofadobewal00murb/page/121 121]}}
- Greaterville Jail: A large hole in the ground. A rope was used for letting prisoners up or down. Located in the ghost town of Greaterville, Arizona.{{cite book|last=Sherman|first=James E.|title=Ghost Towns of Arizona|year=1969|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|page=70|isbn=978-0806108438|author2=Barbara H. Sherman}}
- Tubac Jail: Wooden post in the ground with an attached pair of leg irons to hold the prisoner. The leg irons were originally used on board a Spanish ship to chain prisoners to the mast before being used as the town jail in Tubac, Arizona. They are now on display in the museum of the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park.{{Cite web|title=Tubac Presidio State Historic Park & Town of Tubac|url=http://www.2coollizards.com/tubac/tubac.html|access-date=2016-07-16|archive-date=2016-08-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811233016/http://www.2coollizards.com/tubac/tubac.html|url-status=dead}}