It was nominated for being one of the nation's earliest and most influential appearances of the "telephone pole" layout, with a large main hallway connecting each of the units, that was widely adopted by high-security prisons.

[4] The idea for the creation of the original Minnesota State Prison at Stillwater came in February 1851 as part of legislation dealing with territories.

During 1959 the State Board of Control relinquished its authority to the Minnesota Department of Corrections, which had recently been established.

David Spaeth, Craig Friend, Andrew Salinas and Gonzalo Hernandez used pilfered tools, including an electric hammer drill, to tunnel approximately 25 feet.

[6] On July 18, 2018, Edward Muhammad Johnson, an inmate serving a 29-year sentence for second degree murder, struck correctional officer Joseph Gomm multiple times in the head with a hammer, killing him.

[8][9] He was initially moved to Minnesota Correctional Facility – Oak Park Heights[10] but was subsequently transferred into the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

[12] The takeover was described as a peaceful protest that went on for several hours in which inmates were expressing their disapproval for the series of lockdowns that occurred due to "understaffing" along with “unsafe living conditions” at the prison.

Elli wrote The Riot and other books in Stillwater prison and was a member of the Ink Weavers writing group there.

The 1956 book Nineteen Years Not Guilty: The Leonard Hankins' Story in His Own Words, as Told to Earl Guy describes an innocent man's experiences inside Stillwater Prison.