Yuma Territorial Prison facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Yuma Territorial Prison
Main Gate to the Yuma Territorial Prison.
General information
Type	§mainecraft
Location	Yuma, Arizona, United States
Coordinates	32°43′37″N 114°36′54″W / 32.72694°N 114.61500°W / 32.72694; -114.61500
Opened	1876

The Yuma Territorial Prison is a famous old prison located in Yuma, Arizona, United States. It first opened its doors on July 1, 1876, and closed on September 15, 1909. Today, this historic site is a museum called the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park. It is managed by the Arizona State Parks system. The prison is also part of the National Register of Historic Places within the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area.

A Look Back at the Yuma Prison's History

Building the Prison and Its Early Days

The Yuma Territorial Prison began operating under the new Arizona Territory government. Its very first prisoner arrived on July 1, 1876. Over the next 33 years, a total of 3,069 people were held there. This number included 29 women. These individuals were imprisoned for various reasons, from serious crimes to breaking specific laws of the time.

The prison was always being built or repaired. The prisoners themselves helped with much of this work. In 1909, the last prisoner left the Yuma Territorial Prison. They were moved to a new facility in Florence, Arizona. This happened three years before Arizona officially became a state in 1912. The Yuma Territorial Prison is now the third historic park in Arizona. There is a graveyard on the site where 104 prisoners are buried.

A Yuma visitors' pamphlet from 1996.

From Prison to High School and Beyond

After the prison closed, its buildings found a new purpose. In 1909, Yuma Union High School suffered a fire that destroyed its building. So, from 1910 to 1914, the high school used many of the old prison buildings. Classrooms were set up in the former cellblocks. The prison's hospital even became an assembly hall for students.

After four years, the high school moved to a new campus. Then, around 1915, the city of Yuma took over the old stone prison complex. It was used as a city jail for a while.

People Held at Yuma Territorial Prison

Many different people were held at the Yuma Territorial Prison. Some of them became well-known figures in history. Here are a few examples:

• Burt Alvord – A lawman from Cochise County, Arizona, who later became involved in train robberies.
• Bill Downing – Known for his involvement in train robberies.
• William J. Flake – A Mormon American pioneer who was imprisoned for breaking a law called the Edmunds Act.
• Pearl Hart – A woman famous for robbing stagecoaches.
• "Buckskin Frank" Leslie – A person known for being a gunfighter.
• Ricardo Flores Magón – A Mexican revolutionary who started the Partido Liberal Mexicano political party.
• Pete Spence – An outlaw involved in the famous Earp-Clanton feud.

Images for kids

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  The main guard tower at the prison.

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  A view of the cells and the yard.

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  Prison cells with the courtyard.

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  Iron bunkbeds inside the prison.

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  Pearl Hart at the prison in 1899.

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  Burt Alvord at the prison in 1904.

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  Bill Downing imprisoned in 1901.

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  The prison cemetery.

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  Graves of prisoners.

More to Explore

• Thomas H. Rynning – A former warden of the prison.
• Ben Daniels (pioneer) – A former superintendent of the prison.
• Gleeson Jail – Another historic jail in Gleeson, Arizona.
• Jose Maria Redondo – Known as the "Father of the Yuma Territorial Prison."
• List of historic properties in Yuma, Arizona
• Johnny Behan – A past warden of the prison.

See also

In Spanish: Prisión Territorial de Yuma para niños