Yuma Territorial Prison

During our stay in Hidden Shores, my sister Jennifer (from San Diego, CA) came for a long-weekend to visit with us. It really isn't much of a drive from San Diego to Yuma, only 180 miles, and we were delighted that Jennifer was able to get away to spend some time with us while we were here. One of the tourist attractions in this area is the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park, so one day while we were out and about, we decided to stop by and see it for ourselves. (Some of you might recognize this prison from the movie "3:10 to Yuma".) We were greeted with a hearty "Welcome to Prison"!, as we walked through the visitor center doors; all of us agreed, we were very happy this was only said in jest, especially after touring the facility and witnessing thelurid living conditions actual prisoners endured. Over the 33 years this prison operated (1876 - 1909) it housed 3069 prisoners, and 111 prisoners still lie in unmarked graves on the prison grounds. Rumor has it this prison is haunted, even though there were no executions here, and you can purchase books in the Visitors Center that describe the supposed hauntings. What some called the "hellhole, the prison was constructed by the prisoners themselves, hacked from the granite hills that lay nestled in the relentless desert between the Colorado and Gila rivers. Just for fun, visitors can put on the prison stripes and take a mug shot of themselves. Jennifer and I had a little fun with that, and Dan locked himself in a cell for his picture. Below are the pictures from our prison tour.