Yuma Prison

We visited Yuma for the second time in 2013. Our first was in 2007 to see friends who acted as our tour guides.  On that first trip I saw places I wanted to see the next time we came to town. Fortunately, I was able to talk Hubby into playing tourists on that 2013 visit as we have been so involved in geocaching on each visit since. I took pictures on that 2013 trip that I have never posted on the blog. The visit to Yuma earlier this month reminded me of those historic and interesting sites.

entrance to cell blocks

"On July 1, 1876, the first seven inmates entered the territorial prison at Yuma and were locked into new cells they had built themselves."

inmate quarters

"A total of 3,069 prisoners, including 29 women, lived with the walls during the prison's 33 years of operation. Their crimes ranged from murder to polygamy, with grand larceny being the most common. A majority served only portions of their sentences due to the ease with which paroles and pardons were obtained."

quarters for guards & officers

"One hundred eleven persons died while serving their sentences, most from tuberculosis, which was common throughout the territory. Of the many prisoners who attempted escape, twenty-six were successful, but only two were from within the prison confines. No executions took place at the prison because capital punishment was administered by the county government."

"Despite an infamous reputation, written evidence indicates that the prison was humanely administered, and was a model institution for its time. The only punishments were the dark cells for inmates who broke prison regulations, and the ball and chain for those who tried to escape."

the floor of the dark cell

wall & ceiling of the dark cell

one of the cell blocks

"During their free time, prisoners hand-crafted many items. Those items were sold at public bazaars held at the prison on Sundays after church services. Prisoners had regular medical attention and access to a good hospital."

"Schooling was available for the convicts, and many learned to read and write in prison. The prison housed one of the first 'public' libraries in the territory, and the fee charged to visits for a tour of the institution was used to purchase books. One of the early electrical generating plants in the West furnished power for lights and ran a ventilation system in the cellblock."

cells

"In 1907, the prison was severely overcrowded, and there was no room on Prison Hill for expansion. The convicts constructed a new facility in Florence, AZ. The last prisoner left Yuma on September 15, 1909."

main guard tower

the circular base above the rubble is the remains of the tower

the well or water source is on the right, 

the smaller circular stone structure

"The Yuma Union High School occupied the buildings from 1910 to 1914. Empty cells provided free lodging for hobos riding the freights in the 1920s, and sheltered many homeless families during the Depression. Townspeople considered the complex a source for free building materials. This, plus fires, weathering, and railroad construction, destroyed the prison walls and all buildings except the cells, main gate and guard tower."

According to Wikipedia and Yuma School history: in 1913 the Yuma High School football team traveled to Phoenix  and played against the Coyotes. When Yuma unexpectedly won, the Phoenix team called the team 'criminals'. Yuma High adopted the nickname with pride, and in 1917, the Yuma School Board officially adopted the name. The school's symbol is the face of a hardened criminal, and the student merchandise shop is called the Cell Block.

More on some of the prisoners, their histories & pastimes in the next blog post.