Despite only being open for a total 33 years as an actual prison, the Yuma Territorial Prison is one of the most important pieces of history that still exists today in Yuma, Arizona. The territorial prison was chosen to be placed in Yuma, Arizona for many reasons. The prison was originally supposed to be placed in Phoenix, Arizona, but two representatives from Yuma, Jose Redondo and R.B. Kelly wrote in the name Yuma and the planning for the building began. The prison was located east of the Gila River, North of the Colorado River, and West of Yuma. One of the reasons behind putting it here was to discourage escaping. In order to come up with the design and layout of the prison, the prison held a contest and the winner would receive $150. …show more content…
which was a big advancement for Yuma. But there was a negative effect the prison had on the town, they were pumping raw sewage into the river which was their main water source. Because many people drank this water, there were frequent outbreaks of disease; typhus, scarlet fever, and smallpox. No other prisons can compare to the Yuma Territorial Prison, due to the fact of their coolness, cleanliness, care, and human treatment. Because the prison was built overlooking the Colorado River, the wind is always blowing into the prison keeping it cool when needed. As for working the inmates were treated more leniently, and are the best behaved of similar convicts in the United States. Due to space issues, the prison was closed down in 1909, and the prisoners were moved to a new prison in Florence, Arizona. The abandoned building had a very important role to the Yuma community shortly after. A local high school district was in need of facilities, between 1910-1914 they used the prison’s hospital and other facilities as their high school. This was the reason behind their sports team’s name being the criminals. The prison was also used for distressed families and hobos during the great depression. During World War II, the Main Guard Tower was used as an observation tower by Civil Defense. Between the time the Territorial Prison was built and the time it was finished being used as …show more content…
During the evenings, when they were locked up they were confined to a small cell, with six men, and a bucket for the bathroom. Their cells were dirty and smelly, and they were only able to take a bath once a week. Because of these conditions, there were breakouts of lice and bedbugs.People were sent to the prison for doing crimes such as murder, theft, embezzlement, forgeries, seduction, polygamy, and adultery. On November 11, 1878, women convicts were incarcerated at the prison. Among the 29 women sentenced to the Yuma prison, was Mario Moreno who killed her own brother, and the most famous Pearl Heart. Convicted for robbery along with her husband Joe boot, Pearl Heart committed the last stagecoach robbery in Arizona. In 1909 when the prison became overcrowded and closed down, it became a very famous movie location. Movies that were filmed there include; Life in a Western Penitentiary, The Honor System, Brothers Divided, The Three Musketeers, Red River Valley, The Badlanders, Riot, 3:10 to Yuma, and lastly, To Kill a