Plans for Minnesota's first prison were proposed by Governor Alexander Ramsey in 1849 and federal funds were secured the following year. The Minnesota Territorial Prison was constructed within a ravine on the northern edge of Stillwater. The site was chosen for its convenient proximity to the St. Croix River and its steamboat landings, and because the marshy land would be cheap. The architect was Jacob Fisher and the contractor was the Jesse Taylor Company. The initial phase of construction between 1851 and 1853 resulted in the main prison building, the outer walls, and the warden's house overlooking the complex from the bluff to the south.