February 15, 2024 - A Walk in the Dark at the Yuma Territorial Prision

Andy heard about this event and it sounded interesting.  We had been to the prison many years ago and were told that they have expanded the museum and updated some of the visitors areas.  So we just had to go.

But first, we went to Da Boyz in Old Town Yuma for a wonderful dinner and then off to the prison on the hill.

A little background:

"Yuma Territorial Prison is a living museum of the Old West. More than 3,000 desperadoes, convicted of crimes ranging from polygamy to murder, were imprisoned in rock and adobe cells here during the prison's 33-year existence between 1876 and 1909. The cells, main gate and guard tower are still standing, providing visitors with a glimpse of convict life in the Southwest a century ago.

On July 1, 1876, the first 7 inmates entered the Territorial Prison at Yuma and were locked into the new cells they had built themselves. A total of 3,069 prisoners, including 29 women, lived within these 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. 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, 26 were successful and 8 died from gunshot wounds. No executions took place at the prison because capital punishment was administered by the county governments.

Despite an infamous reputation, the historical written record indicates that the prison was humanely administered and was a model institution for its time. The only punishments were the "dark cell" for inmates who broke prison regulations, and the "ball and chain" for those who tried to escape. Prisoners had free time during which they hand-crafted many items to be sold at public bazaars held at the prison on Sundays after church services. Prisoners also had regular medical attention and access to a good hospital.

Schooling was available for convicts, and many learned to read and write in here in prison. The prison housed one of the first "public" libraries in the territory, and the fee charged to visitors for a tour of the institution was used to purchase books. One of the early electrical generating plants in the West was utilized here to furnish power for lights and run a ventilation system in the cell blocks."

Many movies used this location for their stories and it has been voted "Best Haunted Destination in the US".

The guard tower that sits on the bluff which overlooks the Colorado River:

Before all the dams and canals, the Colorado River came thru here like a "raging ocean."  Now it comes thru as a small river but this is designated wet lands - home to many plants, animals and birds.

When they opened the gates, we first went thru the gift shop and then into this entrance (also called the sallyport).  This is the only original adobe structure remaining at the prison.  How about this picture:

Love the prisoner in the background - isn't he the cutest!

There was a small talk in the yard area and then we went thru the museum.  Andy and I did not spend a lot of time there because we wanted to see the prison while there was still some light:

Andy got his papers - LOL!

Thru the Museum, we met up with the Yuma Wild West Day 1800's Group - they were so much fun!

Of course, we had to get our picture taken with the prisoners:

The Main Cell Block:

The locks:

The cells:

Each cell held 6 people and a pot (for the toilet):

High Ceilings in each cell:

Check the thick walls of the entrance to each cell:

Heading to the yard and the dark cell:

Now, think about this...   Yuma in the summer reaches temperatures well over 100 degrees.  You are in a cell with 5 other people (who are not the nicest). Your bathroom is a pot on the floor.  I just cannot imagine.

This is the "Dark Cell."  It is a cave, dug out from the bluff.  Prisoners that did not follow the rules were put in a cage in this cave.  They were fed once per day and there was no toilet. Sometimes there were up to 6 prisoners in the cage. They could be there for a day, a week, a month or many months.  It was too dark to take a picture of the cell but believe me it was small.  Oh my!

Since this is one of the "Most Haunted Places in the US", they have spirit hunters or ghost hunters come here.  Tonight, these two were ghost hunters.  They had two pieces of equipment - one to see if the spirits were here and one to pick up their "voices."  They asked the spirits questions and they did get answers, although it sounded like gibberish to me.  So is this real? I don't know.   

I was there a while and a few of us got to talk with them (people, not spirits).   Anyway, he said that there are no evil spirits, just tortured souls.  Interesting perspective.

On the floor is the floor of the cage - Oh my.

There were 29 women incarcerated over the years that the prison was open.  This was one of their cells.  It was also dug into the bluff.

For those prisoners who followed the rules, they ate pretty good.

The prisoners who followed the rules had a lot of amenities.  The library here was used by people in the Yuma territories.

One last item:

It was a great tour and there is so much more to see there.  We intend to come back next season when it is light to take advantage of that.

Enjoy today!