Yet another sunny, warm day dawns. Off we went to tour the Yuma Territorial Prison.
The prison only operated for 33 years, from 1876 to 1909, then was closed due to overcrowding. During that time it held 3,069 prisoners including 29 women.
The main guard tower sits atop the prison's original water supply, and offers a commanding view of the area.
The main cellblock was built to house 204 prisoners. Each cell was 9' X 12' with just a bucket for a toilet, and could hold 6 prisoners. The cells were constructed of strap iron, which was brought in, and granite rock, which was quarried by the prisoners themselves. Could you imagine what today's inmates would say about those conditions?????
The "Dark Cell" was a cell excavated from granite measuring 10' X 10' and had minimal access to light. When a prisoner broke the rules, or was considered 'incorrigible', he was confined in solitary to the Dark Cell, dressed in only his underwear and existed on one meal of bread and water a day. He would sometimes have both legs individually chained to two ring bolts. The only light during the day came from a small ventilation shaft in the ceiling. After the sun went down, the prisoner was in total darkness, often sharing the cell with scorpions and rattlesnakes.
After touring the prison, we went to the "Ocean to Ocean" highway bridge, (the silver one in the foreground) which was constructed in 1915. When completed, it was the only highway bridge across the Colorado River for 1200 miles.
We walked across the single lane bridge to what we thought was California, but apparently we were still in Arizona! The bridge to the right is a railway bridge.
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