Yuma Territorial Prison, a pioneer in western criminal punishment

Monday marks a historical day in Yuma’s history.

On July 1, 1876, the first prisoners entered the Yuma Territorial Prison where they were tasked with building their own cells.

One-hundred-and-forty-three years later, the prison still stands as one of Yuma’s historic jewels.

Initially, the prison was intended to be built in Phoenix, but the man recognized as the Father of Yuma, Jose Maria Redondo, decided the prison would best fit in our city.

A pioneering era of the earliest jails, seven prisoners were moved from all over Arizona to laying the first cornerstone for one of Yuma’s historical landmarks.

It was post-civil war and there was a significant amount of westward migration during the gold rush.

Many people had a criminal desire for money.

Yuma Territorial Prison’s curator, Tina Clark, said ” The politicians knew that waves of people were coming and a lot of them were coming for crime. Yuma did very well with the prison economy. Money poured in the prison grew. The greatest job you could have in Yuma in the early days was a prison guard. ”

There were 3,069 prisoners recorded in the prison’s 33 years of operation.

Although the first 275 prisoners were not photographed, the museum tells many of the stories of the earliest prisoners through mugshots and wrap sheets.

The Yuma Territorial Prison sees about 60 to 100 visitors daily during the summer months.

If you’re interested in learning more about the wild west, the prison is open to the public Thursday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.