Published August 9, 2022, for State 48 A2Z
Opening in 1876, Yuma Territorial Prison housed a wide variety of the Arizona Territory’s criminals including several notorious names before it was closed in 1909. In all. a total of 3,069 prisoners, 29 of which were women, walked through these gates to serve their time for their crimes against society, which ranged from murder to polygamy. The prison officially closed on September 15, 1909, when the final prisoner in custody left for the newly built Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence. However, some inmates are still serving their time there.
Following the end of the Mexican-American War, the area that is Yuma today, along with other parts of the previously Spanish-controlled Sonoran Desert, eventually became the US Territory of Arizona after the western portion of the New Mexico Territory was renamed during the American Civil War. Even before it was officially the Arizona Territory Yuma became a part of the westward movement sparked by the California gold rush in 1849 and started the western Arizona town started growing.
A military post was placed in the area along the Colorado River in 1850, and, in 1858, gold strikes along the Colorado saw Yuma experience yet another population boom. Yuma was eventually incorporated in 1871, becoming the seat for Yuma County.
The authorization to build the territorial prison in Yuma received legislative approval in 1875 when $25,000 was budgeted for the project. The ground was broken on the new prison in April 1876 and, using prisoner labor to help complete the cell construction, the first seven inmates officially moved into the prison on July 1, 1876.
A few of the more infamous names that the prison housed include stagecoach robber Pearl Hart, former Wyatt Earp employee (Oriental Bar – Tombstone) “Buckskin” Frank Leslie, who killed his girlfriend in a drunken rage, and Mexican Revolutionary Ricard Flores Magon. Another female inmate in the prison was “Heartbreaker” Elena Estrada who received seven years for manslaughter.
The prison was also part of the “moral reform” era of the late 19th century when, the newly formed Republican Party, listed slavery and polygamy as the “twin relics of barbarism”. The Party supported the passage of the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act in 1862, which outlawed a man from marrying more than one living wife. The law saw very few prosecutions during the Civil War with Utah so far away from DC politicians’ eyes. However, in 1882, renewed prosecution efforts also included “unlawful cohabitation” as part of this law thereby removing the prosecution’s need to prove that an actual marriage occurred.
In the mid-1880s, twelve Mormon leaders were convicted under this latest statute with nine being housed in Yuma. The other three were sent to the Detroit House of Corrections in Michigan. The nine housed in Yuma Territorial Prison were Alma Platt Spilsbury, Charles Innes Robson, William Jordan Flake, George Thomas Wilson, Jens Neils Skousen, Oscar Marion Stewart, James Thomas Wilson, Hyrum Smith Phelps, and Edmund Ellsworth. It does seem a bit of an overreach, housing religious, non-violent offense criminals in with hardened killers, rapists, bank robbers, and more, however, that was the case here.
Life behind the bars of the prison was no Sunday in the park. In fact, Yuma Territorial Prison has been called a “desert Alcatraz” due to its thick adobe wall construction, as well as it being built on a hill of granite with the river to the east and north, and a harsh desert to the south and west. But the difficulties of the locale that surrounded the prison were equaled by the harsh living conditions inside the prison walls. The inmates referred to it as the “Hell Hole”.
The 9-foot by 8-foot cells housed two metal, three-tier bunks, which allowed the prison officials to house as many as six inmates per cell, crowded together like sardines. The cells only contained the bunks and nothing else. No washbasin or furniture. They did, however, have the “luxury” of having a toilet in the cell, a metal bucket that was emptied only once a day. There had to be many times that the bucket was overfilled before emptying, not to mention the terrible smell that there must have been constantly, especially in the summer months.
Between the extreme heat, being surrounded by a river and open desert, the high death tolls from Tuberculosis, and the inhuman punishment cell with snakes and balls and chains, Yuma Territorial Prison had quickly become the outlaws' worst fear… just not enough to go straight mind you. Despite its surrounding unforgiving desert and the Colorado River, 26 inmates did successfully manage to escape over the years while another eight were shot in their attempt.
During its 33 years of use, the Yuma Territorial Prison housed more than 3,000 convicts with their crimes breakdown reading like a basic who's who in criminality. A total of 1287 were convicted of burglary, with others housed for Assault, Mayhem, Riot (473), Forgery/Fraud (249), Murder (217), Manslaughter (170), Selling Liquor to Indians (164), Robbery (143), Rape (42), Adultery (27), Polygamy (11), Obstructing Railroad (4), Prize Fighting (1), and other offenses (278).
The prison also had 111 recorded deaths, 104 of which were buried in the prison cemetery. The other seven bodies were claimed by family. Forty-six of those prisoners died from Tuberculosis (Consumption), which was very prevalent in that era. The others passed from a wide variety of causes ranging from a rattlesnake bite to pneumonia and tumors, in addition to being stabbed by another prisoner, and gunshot wounds received before prison. A total of eight were killed trying to escape.
Given its history, it’s no wonder that Yuma Territorial Prison is one of the state’s “most-haunted” spots. Reports of numerous paranormal activities have been provided by visitors and staff alike. According to phoenix.ghosts.com, while the ghosts have appeared all over the prison, the main paranormal concentration occurs in the main cell block and the Dark Cell. The dark cell was used as inmate punishment, much like today’s prisons have solitary confinement, only even more inhumane. I have to admit it was pretty intimidating to walk alone into the Dark Cell. While I didn't experience any paranormal activity you cannot help but feel the spirits of those who remain are all around. That feeling was even stronger in the dark cell.
Over the years there have been numerous reports from staff and visitors to the park of hearing “blood-curdling” screams and cries for mercy, in addition to hearing faint voices, and the rattling of chains (probably from the ball and chain used to punish attempted escapees). Other reports from the staff include a woman spirit who sings in the visitor’s area in the morning and another dis-embodied soul named Johnny who “resides” in the gift shop and enjoys rearranging the coins in the cash register.
Another legend says that many years ago a little girl in a red dress was trying to retrieve her doll from the Colorado River when she drowned. She now haunts the Yuma Territorial Historic Prison, and, if she doesn’t like a visitor or if a person is wearing red, the little girl will pinch the visitor. In 2019, the prison was named the “Nation’s Best Haunted Destination” by USA Today.
The prison had a few reincarnations between its closing in 1909 and the museum it is today. From 1910 through 1914 it was operated by Yuma High School after their building burnt down. During the great depression, many people who had lost their homes and possessions lived here. Then, in 1941, the city of Yuma operated the site as a museum until 1960, and, in 1942, the guard tower was used by the military as a lookout during World War II. The site was transferred to the control of the state in 1961 and it became Arizona’s third State Park at the time. By 2010, the park transferred ownership, this time to the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area (YCNHA), which operates the park today.
Visitors to Yuma Territorial Prison can tour, and partake in, an introduction exhibit in the visitor center with photographs, several outside buildings that include the original strap-iron cellblocks, a guard tower, water tank, sally port (main gate), library, the dark cell, caliche hill, and more. The site also has a 3,600 square-foot museum that houses prison artifacts, a video presentation, a gift shop, and exhibits that document the prison’s history, along with its staff and convicts. There is even a picnic area and hiking trail if you are so inclined.
Yuma Territorial Prison was an important, if not somewhat barbaric, part of our state’s history and it’s great to see it preserved for future generations to study and learn about those days long gone. I was glad to check this off my bucket list as it has been on it for quite a few years. The park is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm (except for Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day), and children under 6 are free. It is, without a doubt, the most fun you will ever have in prison.
To learn more about the Yuma Territorial Prison Park visit their webpage at azstateparks.com/yuma-territorial
That’ll wrap things up for this week. As always, thanks for reading, stay safe, and happy travels. Be sure to like and follow us on social media (links below), share our blog posts, and feel free to give us your feedback. And, if you go somewhere in Arizona that you think others should know about, please let us know so we can add it to our travel list. We’d love to hear from you. Peace!
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