In 1860, the U.S. Army created a list of unofficial regulations related to military buildings, including soldiers' barracks and stables. Henry Sibley began construction on this military prison outside Fort Snelling's walls in November 1864, but was told to stop because the building did not meet the 1860 standards. Sibley had this photograph taken to show how close the building was to completion and was allowed to continue construction. The building later became the Commissary-Warehouse and was torn down in 1972.In 2015, University of Minnesota anthropology professor Katherine Hayes received a research award to examine incarceration at Fort Snelling. In 2016, she and her students conducted excavation at the site of Sibley's military prison. As they dug up foundations and artifacts, Hayes and her students considered the question: "what do these remains have to say about the prisoners' lives?"