Essay On Yima Territorial Prison

The Yuma Territorial Prison was a prison that was used from 1876 to 1909 in the small town of Yuma. There was more prisons at the time but this one was different and better than the others. It was used in many other ways than just a prison such as a school and soon enough an Arizona State Park one of the most visited in the state. The Yuma Territorial Prison was and still is significant to the town of Yuma Arizona because it boosted the economy and advanced the town. It was significant because of how modern and humane it was in its time. Also because it made Yuma more known in different ways and raised the population. The prison was very significant in history and beneficial to the small town of Yuma. One of the reasons the Territorial Prison

Jose Maria Redondo and R.B. Kelly are the two legislators that got the Territorial Prison to change from being placed in Phoenix to Yuma because they thought a prison there “ would be a real boost for the local economy”. The prison gave many jobs and helped expand the town helping the local economy. After the prison was closed in 1909 for their being too many prisoners and no room for expansion it was still very beneficial to the economy of Yuma and still is to this day. The prison was used as a high school from 1910 to 1914.After that in 1916 there was a bad flood which destroyed a lot in Yuma so the town was desperate for materials to rebuild. They people in the town went to the prison and started taking apart the prison taking anything they needed which saved money. Later on in the 1940s the prison was turned into a museum from efforts of the townspeople which brought in a lot of money to the town from all the people visiting it. The prison turning to a museum really helped the economy. In January 2010 the Arizona State Parks wanted to close the Yuma Territorial Prison museum because of a shortage of money. The people of Yuma did not

People often referred to the prison as “the Country Club on the Colorado”. The Yuma Territorial Prison was very modern and humane for its time for many reasons. The prison was one of the first to have running water which came from the Colorado river, flush toilets, sewer system, electricity, and ventilation systems. The prison had gotten all these things before the town had even gotten them. Many people though it was probably better to be in prison during the summer then to be at home. This prison was also one of the first to have a hospital which was pretty advanced for its time and also a library. Instead of trying to just beat down all the prisoners the superintendent wanted to guide them into a better life. They even got taught to read and write and speak spanish and german. The prison would also let the prisoners make things which they could sell once a month and any money they made would be kept in the prison until they were let out and given to them to let them have kind of a fresh start. They really just wanted to give the prisoners get hope and get better. The harshest punishments they did have were a ball and chain if they tried to escape and “The Dark Cell” for the harshest punishment. The dark cell was basically a cave dug into the ground with a 15 by 15 foot cage where the prisoner would be placed stripped to their underwear with no light and only bread and