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Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park

Introduction

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Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park preserves the site of a prison established here on July 1, 1876. It features ruins of prison buildings including cell blocks, the prison cemetery, a museum, visitor center, cactus garden, interpretive panels, and a nature trail. The park is part of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, which preserves this and other nearby sites associated with what was an important crossing point during the 19th century (the Yuma Crossing is a National Historic Landmark and appears to have been located roughly where the interstate bridge crosses the river). The prison operated for just over three decades and housed more than 3,000 prisoners, including 29 Mormon women (they were imprisoned for practicing polygamy; Mormon men were as well for the same offence) and a well-known stagecoach robber named Pearl Hart. The park was established in 1961. The museum features original prison artifacts and exhibits about the prison's history, inmates and staff.

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Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park was established in 1960 and features buildings and ruins of the prison founded in 1876.

Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park was established in 1960 and features buildings and ruins of the prison founded in 1876.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Native Americans used the Yuma Crossing to traverse the Colorado River for centuries before Fernando de Alarcon, who traveled with the famous Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, crossed the river in 1540, becoming the first recorded European to do so. Over time, Yuma Crossing grew in importance. Many pioneer trails met here and the numbers of people crossing the river increased after the California Gold Rush began in 1849. The U.S. Army established Fort Yuma directly across the river in 1850 to establish the American control of the crossing.

As noted above, the prison was founded in 1876. It quickly earned a reputation of being notorious place to be locked up. It was extremely hot, surrounded by desert, and guarded by guards in towers armed with gatling guns. Prisoners dubbed it the "Hell-Hole on the Bluff." Even so, eventually the prison had electricity, a library, sanitation (and three showers and two bath tubs), and forced ventilation. Many residents of Yuma didn't have these amenities.

The prison closed in 1909 due to overcrowding and the inmates were relocated to a new prison in Florence. During the next several decades, the former prison was used in a number of ways. Four buildings became Yuma High School between 1910-1914 after the original school burned down (the sports teams were called "the criminals"), the County Hospital used it between 1914-1923, the Southern Pacific Railroad built tracks in the western side of the site in 1924, and the Veterans for Foreign Wars used the guard's quarters as a clubhouse from 1931 to 1960. Efforts to preserve the prison site began in the 1930s and a museum run by the city opened in 1939. The state took over operations after the site became a state park in 1961.

Sources

"Heintzelman, Patricia." Yuma Crossing. National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. November 13, 1966. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/3cd129d0-aca0-4d8d-aaf4-70a67b1bd44b."

"Historical Background." Yuma Territorial Prison Museum. Accessed September 13, 2020. https://www.yumaprison.org/historical-background.html.

"History of Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park." Arizona State Parks. Accessed September 13, 2020. https://azstateparks.com/yuma-territorial/about-the-prison/park-history.

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Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park

Additional Information