KOFA HIGH SCHOOL

US HISTORY

COUSEWORK SOUCE PACKET

YUMA TERRITORIAL PRISON

Source 1: Inmate mug shots taken at Yuma Territorial Prison

Photos taken of prisoners circa 1876-1909 (Prison Centennial 1876-1976 by Trafzer & George).

Source 2: Yuma High School Graduating Class Photo

The 1913 graduating class of Yuma High School at the Territorial Prison site (Courtesy of the Yuma Historical

Society).

Source 3: Library at the Yuma Territorial Prison

Yuma Territorial Prison Library established in 1883 (Courtesy of the Yuma Historical Society).

“I recommend that the Legislature make a fair appropriation for a Prison Library, also to provide for a

Mechanics library of several volumes, for the special use of convict mechanics and those learning trades”

“Every visitor to this institution pays $0.25 for the privilege of inspecting the Prison. The money is set

aside, and will be used toward assisting in establishing a Prison Library. The amount so far realized from

this source is $78.25”

- Superintendent’s Report, Nevember 1, 1883

Source 4: Hollywood Western Movie Photo

Movie still at Yuma Territorial Prison circa 1950 (Courtesy of the Yuma Historical Society).

Source 5: Territorial Prison Yard Photo

Photo taken of Territorial Prison Yard circa 1890 (The Prison Chronicle: Yuma Territorial Prison’s Colorful

Past, by Marti Murphy).

Source 6: Apache Bounty Hunters

(Photo Courtesy of Yuma Historical Society)

Source 7: Excerpt of Prisoner Rules and Regulations

Selected duties of prisoners from Rules and Regulations for Yuma Territorial Prison, 1895 (Courtesy of Yuma

Historical Society).

Source 8: Hanging of a Prisoner

Execution of prisoner of the Yuma Territorial Prison at the Yuma County Courthouse circa 1900 (Courtesy of

Yuma Historical Society).

Source 9:

Why was the Territorial Prison located in Yuma?

From a modern-day perspective, the location of the Territorial Prison in Yuma seems ideal. The Gila River to

the east, the fast-moving Colorado River to the north, the town of Yuma to the west, and the barren, harsh,

desert to the south would certainly discourage escape.

The impending arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad would help assure supplies were available, and the

presence of Fort Yuma might act as a deterrent as well. But, in actuality, the reason for the Territorial Prison

being built in Yuma is much simpler.

It was a result of political maneuvering by Jose Maria Redondo and R.B. Kelly. These two Yuma County

legislators thought that a prison in Yuma would be a real boost for the local economy. When the prison project

was approved, the word “Phoenix” had been crossed out and “Yuma” written in as the location of the prison,

courtesy of these two legislators!

(Marti Murphy, selection taken from The Prison Chronicle: Yuma’s Territorial Prison’s Colorful Past)

Source 10:

Rule Breaking within the Prison

Various punishments were used within the prison walls to ensure discipline was maintained. The most notorious

of these punishments was the Dark Cell. Dug into the caliche hillside, the dark cell was a room about 15 feet by

15 feet and contained an iron cage in which the prisoners would be locked. During incarceration in the Dark

Cell, the only light came from a small ventilation shaft in the ceiling and contact with other people was

forbidden. Prisoners were given only bread and water once a day and they were stripped to their undergarments.

The Dark Cell was nicknamed the “snake den” possibly because a prisoner got bitten by a snake during his stay.

Other unconfirmed stories are that the guards would drop snakes and scorpions down the ventilation shaft onto

the prisoners. The most serious of all punishments, the dark cell was given for opium possession, refusing to

work, and stealing.

Other, less stringent punishment options included chaining a prisoner to the ring set into the floor of the cell, or

a ball and chain placed around the prisoner’s ankle for such crimes as attempted escape.

Solitary confinement was the most common punishment and was used for everything from cooking in the yard,

fighting and bad language. Originally the structure consisted of 5 cells with a walkway around them. The

building was constructed of adobe bricks and covered by a metal roof. A large metal box contained the controls

for the door. This box is currently on display in the museum.

Since this was one of the newer structures at the prison, the iron cells were moved to the new prison in Florence

when it was built. When the Florence Prison was being renovated, 4 of the 5 cell doors were returned to Yuma

prison rather than being discarded.

Interestingly, the list of punishments for infractions of the rules seems, by today’s standards, to be somewhat

contradictory. For instance, one could be confined to solitary for 2 days for not bathing, 3 days for littering the

yard, or 3 to 10 days for gambling, but only 1 day for making a knife.

(Marti Murphy, selection taken from The Prison Chronicle: Yuma’s Territorial Prison’s Colorful Past)

Source 11: A description of various pros and cons the prison brought to Yuma.

The Territorial Prison

The prison was constructed based on plans developed as the result of a contest. Rather than pay for a

professional architect, a contest was held to create a plan for the prison. The winner of the contest received a

$150.00 and the construction began in 1875.

The majority of the construction labor was performed by prisoners using stone that was quarried from the site

and adobe taken from the river bottom. On July 1, 1876 the first seven prisoners were moved into the facility.

Construction continued for the entire 33 years the prison was in operation.

By modern standards, the Yuma Territorial Prison might be thought of as inhumane, but it was considered to be

a model prison at the time that it was built. Indeed, the townspeople of Yuma called the Prison “the Country

Club on the Colorado.” The people felt as some do in the present times, that the prisoners had it “too easy!”

In the case of the Territorial Prison with its running water pumped from the Colorado River, flush toilets, sewer

system, electricity, and forced air ventilation system, it’s easy to see why they may have felt this way! All of

this was in place by 1893, quite a while before the rest of the town had these amenities! Ventilation fans and the

adobe and rock construction of the cells probably made the prison more pleasant in the summer months than the

rest of the town.

The town benefited from the prison because they were able to purchase electricity after 9 p.m. every night.

Having electricity, in 1893, was a big advancement for such a small town.

One of the negative effects the prison had on the town was the pumping of raw sewage from the prison into the

Colorado River.

You may note that the prison is less than a mile upstream from the town of Yuma, and because of the unsanitary

conditions in general, and the unclean drinking water in particular, outbreaks of Typhus, smallpox, and scarlet

fever frequently occurred in Yuma.

In spite of this, the town’s climate was touted by the Arizona Sentinel as “superior to any spot on Earth for the

cure of consumption, Bright’s Disease of the Kidneys, rheumatism, and neuralgia.”

The prison the visitor sees today is only one portion of the complex as it existed when it was vacated in 1909.

Much of the perimeter wall and some cells have been destroyed due to scavenging of materials and during

construction of the railroad on the west side of the hill. The exterior wall was 18 feet tall, 8 feet thick at the base

and 5 feet thick at the top, allowing a footpath on the top so guards could patrol the perimeter.

The prison could hold a total of 350 prisoners at a time. Over 3,000 prisoners, 29 of whom were women, served

sentences at the prison during its 33 years of operation.

(Marti Murphy, selection taken from The Prison Chronicle: Yuma’s Territorial Prison’s Colorful Past)

Source 12:

The End of the Territorial Prison and the aftermath

Construction of new cells continued during the Prison’s operation, but eventually space for new construction

began to be a problem. With the river on 2 sides, and the town on the other, there was little space left to build.

The town of Yuma would not lease any more land to the prison for expansion.

When a new prison was finished in Florence, Arizona on September 15, 1909, the last remaining convicts were

transferred from Yuma to Florence Prison.

After the inmates were moved, the Arizona Territorial Prison at Yuma was abandoned. Although no longer a

prison, nor an economic influence in Yuma, the Territorial Prison was to play an interesting and important role

in the town for many years to come.

After a particularly bad flood in 1916, building materials were in great demand and the abandoned prison was a

likely source. The townspeople came up to the prison and helped themselves to anything they needed for

rebuilding the town, thus beginning a period of deterioration of the facility.

One of the most colorful events in the prison’s history occurred after it was abandoned. The local school district

needed facilities for a high school and in spite of parental protests, the high school was located in, among other

prison facilities, the old prison hospital from 1910 to 1914. Because of the early association with the prison, all

the Yuma High School athletic teams are called the Yuma Criminals or “Crims” to this day.

The County of Yuma leased the old superintendent’s house as a county hospital from 1914 to 1923. The house

was torn down in 1924 to make way for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The old guards’ quarters were used as a

VFW post from 1931 until it burned down in 1960.

During World War II, the Main Guard Tower was used by the Civil Defense as an observation tower, and later

the prison became a favorite filming location for western movies. Famous actors such as John Wayne and Gene

Autry made movies at the prison. Now, over 100 years after the first inmates moved into the prison, the site is

also used as a location for filming music videos.

In the early 1940s the abandoned prison was converted into a museum through the dedicated efforts of the

townspeople of Yuma. In 1960 it was donated to Arizona State Parks and has been under our direction since

that time.

(Marti Murphy, selection taken from The Prison Chronicle: Yuma’s Territorial Prison’s Colorful Past)

Source 14: Prison Demographics from the Yuma Territorial Prison

Prisoner Demographics -Yuma Territorial Prison

Age Distribution

Under 20 334

21-30 1030

31-40 604

41-50 255

51-60 100

Over 60 31

Unknown 715

Youngest 14 years, Oldest 88 years

Education

Could read and write 1560

Could not 758

Unknown 751

Marital Status

Single 1698

Married 593

Unknown 778

Habits

Intemperate 1384

Temperate 949

Used Tobacco 2206

Non-use of tobacco 124

Used opium or drugs 23

Unknown 736

Ethnic Background

Caucasian 1403

Mexican 1347

American Indian 168

Negro 109

Oriental 42

Nativity

U.S. & Canada 1602

Mexico, Central & South America 1152

Europe 204

Asia 44

Africa 6

Unknown 61

Religion

Catholic 1383

Protestant 513

Jewish 3

Buddhist 1

Unknown 1169

Citation: Prison Demographics from Yuma Territorial Prison. Yuma Territorial Prison Records. Accessed

November 2012.

Source 14: Yuma Territorial Prison circa 1900

(Photo taken from The Prison Chronicle: Yuma’s Territorial Prison’s Colorful Past by Marti Murphy,)

“Strangers visiting Yuma should not miss a visit to the Territorial Prison. There has been so much written and

said about the injustice and cruelty of confining persons here that strangers should make a point of paying a

visit to the institution in order to be convinced of the fact that for coolness, cleanliness, core and humane

treatment, there is not a prison in the world that can compare with the Arizona Penitentiary. At this place,

selected on a high commanding bluff overlooking the broad Colorado, there is always a cool breeze blowing off

the River. The work rooms, dining rooms, kitchen, library, offices and all other apartments are either

surrounded by adobe walls or excavated from the almost solid rock hill, with cement floors, making them

extremely cool in Summer and warm during the Winter. As to work, the inmates are treated more leniently and

are as a consequence the best behaved of similar body of convicts in the United States. They are required to

manufacture shoes and clothing and cook for the institution. A large number are allowed to manufacture canes

and fancy ornaments.”

- Arizona Sentinel July 13, 1895

Source 15: Quote from a time period newspaper on the Territorial Prison in Yuma.

“At Yuma is the Territorial, which is now partly completed, and when fully furnished according to the plans and

specifications, will be a model of strength, utility and architectural beauty. Among the other important

buildings are the county court house, jail, public schoolhouse, Catholic school, two hotels, printing office,

private dwellings, and a large number of fine stores and saloons. The ‘Sentinel’ is a wide awake newspaper, is

well established at Yuma, and thoroughly devoted to the interests of the county and territory.”

(Hiram C. Hodge, Arizona, As It Is, 1877.)

Source 16: Yuma Territorial Prison Status Today

The Legend Lives On

In January 2010, Arizona State Parks announced plans to close the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park

due to state budget cut-backs. By March 2010, through the efforts of the "Chain Gangs", the Yuma community

rallied to raise $70,000 in donations to keep the park open and operating.

The City of Yuma arranged a lease of the park from the state, and the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area

took over daily operations.

(Courtesy of Yuma Territorial Prison Website:http://www.savetheprison.com/index.html)

Source 17: Population of the city of Yuma, 1870 – 1910

Gibson, Campbell. “Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790-

1910.” United States Census Bureau. June, 1998. Retrieved on October 7, 2006.

Website Sources for Yuma Territorial Prison

http://azstateparks.com/Parks/YUTE/index.html

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/yumaterritorialprison.html

http://www.interment.net/data/us/az/yuma/prison/prison.htm

http://westernamericana2.blogspot.com/2010/06/yuma-territorial-prison-1875-1909-by.html

http://suite101.com/article/behind-the-walls-of-yuma-territorial-prison-a218142

Historical populations

Census Population %

1870

1,144

----

1880

1,200

4.9%

1890

1,773

47.8%

1900

1,519

-14.3%

1910

2,914

91.8%