Yuma Territorial Prison, once nicknamed "the Hell Hole", is now a State Historic Park. Built by prisoners, this location is a preserved piece from the old west when Arizona was still just a territory.
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Yuma Territorial Prison was authorized in 1875 and opened to the first seven prisoners on July 1, 1876. During construction, some of the prisoners were even made to build their own cells. Due to conditions of the hot desert, the prison earned the nickname of the “Hell Hole”.
The prison remained in operation for another 33 years when in 1909 it was forced to close due to overcrowding. The prison saw 3069 prisoners serving sentences ranging from adultery to murder. During its lifetime, it remained a Territorial prison; Arizona would not reach statehood until February 14, 1912.
After the last prisoner left the prison, the complex continued to be used in numerous different ways. From 1910 to 1914, Yuma Union High School used the buildings after theirs was damaged in a fire.
After students returned to their newly built school, the prison continued to find life in new ways. It was used as a county hospital from 1914 to 1923. During the Great Depression, homeless and families slept in cells. The Veterans of Foreign Wars leased the guard’s quarters and set up their clubhouse there until 1960.
Finally on January 1, 1961, the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park opened to the public.
VIDEO FILMED: 04/25/2021
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⚪ Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park - https://azstateparks.com/yuma-territorial/
⚪ Directions to Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park - https://goo.gl/maps/4JLxnHdqepVfW5pi9
▬▬ T I M E S T A M P S ▬▬
00:00 Intro
00:18 Main Guard Tower
01:13 Yuma Territorial Prison History
02:28 Old Prison Yard & Cell Exploration
05:18 Dark Cell
07:07 Inmate Pearl Hart
08:21 Infirmary
08:46 New Yard & Cell Exploration
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Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! Join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American Southwest. We tour both natural and man-made attractions - National Parks as well as theme parks.
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