The territorial prison housed many of the state's most notorious criminals and some for insignificant crimes, either way it was a living hell for thirty four years. It operated from eighteen seventy five to nineteen o nine. After its discontinuation it served countless purposes to the yuma community and without it, life before would have been much harder. As a tribute to this amazing architectural accomplishment, the community came together and raised funding to have it restored to its former glory.
This prison contained some of the most notorious criminal, but also criminals for small crimes like adultery and people refusing to pay taxes. On eighteen seventy six, after being forced to construct the very building that pay out their sentence…show more content… For instance, Yuma High used the prison when their High School burned down, this is where their mascots name came from. “The Criminals”. They occupied the prison for four years. From nineteen ten, to nineteen fourteen. Then, the County hospital occupied the area from nineteen fourteen to nineteen twenty three. Around nineteen thirty two the homeless that suffered from the depression-era took shelter in the cells. As Well as using the perimeter wall’s adobe as the building blocks for many yuma citizens homes. The first request to preserve the Prison came in the early nineteen thirties, and in nineteen thirty nine, local residents began to raise funds for renovation of the guard tower and construction of a museum to be located on the site of the mess hall. The City of Yuma operated the museum and prison area until nineteen sixty. The City Council and the citizens of Yuma strongly supported the Territorial Prison becoming a State Park. At the January twenty fourth, nineteen fifty eight, Parks Board Meeting, the Board unanimously agreed to accept the Territorial Prison subject to the resolution of various issues. On February sixth, nineteen fifty eight, the Board agreed that the Territorial Prison would be accepted as a priority and as the first donation from a municipality. Land ownership issues held up the transfer until October fourth, nineteen, when the City of Yuma sold the Territorial Prison to…show more content… He would be dressed only in his underwear and existed on one meal of bread and water each day. He would sometimes have both legs individually chained to two ring bolts. The only light during the day came from a small ventilation shaft in the ceiling. After the sun went down, the prisoner was in total darkness. He often shared the dark cell with scorpions and snakes, and whether these varmints slithered into the dark cell from the outside or sadistic guards dropped them down the ventilation shaft to further torture prisoners, as they had claimed, will never be known. After serving their time in the dark cell, some prisoners were even sent directly to the insane asylum in Phoenix. Surprisingly, the most prominent ghost in the “dark cell” might be that of a small child. The ghostly phantom loves pinching, poking and touching with icy fingers, but only if you’re wearing red clothing. A psychic touring the prison felt the spirit wasn’t an angry prisoner but rather that of a little girl. Perhaps her family was one of the many who found themselves homeless and living at the prison until they could get back on their
