From a distance, Collins Bay Penitentiary resembled a medieval castle, grey stone walls with pointed towers at the four corners of the building, and a steeple in the centre of the red metal roof that towered even higher. The entrance was intimidating, a massive brick archway between two grey turrets that extended into the sky. The prison was built in 1930 in the architectural style known as Château or Railway Gothic, similar to magnificent hotels such as the Banff Springs in Alberta and the Château Frontenac in Quebec. But Collins Bay was no luxury hotel …
Bio:
Mary Theresa Kelly lives in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. She writes narrative nonfiction and is the author of On Mockingbird Hill: Memories of Dharma Bums, Madcaps, and Fire Lookouts (Caitlin Press, 2017).