Yuma Territorial Prison

We are off to Oceanside, CA for Fall Break.  Kamryn is with us, as we are meeting her family on their way home from Palo Alto.  Owen's heart transplant went off without a hitch, and he will be coming home, too!  On the way, we decided to stop at the Yuma Territorial Prison.

Tatum was very nervous to visit.  On the way over, she came up with several excuses why we couldn't go.  In reality, she had heard it was haunted, and was pretty scared.

It was actually a very interesting stop. The prison operated from 1878 - 1909. It has served as a high school and a homeless shelter.  Much of the prison has been demolished over the years, but in the 1940's, the people of Yuma preserved what was left. It became a museum.  In the 1960's it became Arizona's 3rd state park.

There was a lot of information about the inmates that were at the prison.  In total, there were 3,069 prisoners housed there during those 33 years, 29 of which were women.  They even had a cool little display where you could get your mug shot taken just like the prisoners did.  Taking the picture next to a mirror allowed them to get a profile shot as well.

The Dark Cell was the punishment room. Inmates that broke prison rules were chained to the walls with only bread and water for food--and NO bathroom.

This is the room that is supposed to be haunted.  They say a mischievous spirit likes to pinch and poke visitors wearing red.  Tatum did NOT want to go in, but she didn't want to be left alone either.  We all made our way in, and once we were all in, Justin screamed.  Tatum tore out of there and was on edge for the rest of the visit.  Poor girl.

There was a lot of history and interesting stories to be heard.  It was a nice little stop, and we were glad we got to see it.  Maybe next time, we'll even get to see a real ghost!