Yuma Territorial prison
Sinjin Valle
2/1/17
Period 4
Word count: The Yuma Territorial Prison was significant for many community and economic reasons including,how it looked and how it was made,the many uses the prison had,the historical significance of the prison,as well as the rules and regulations it had at the time.The prison had many pros and cons being made in the town of Yuma.Yuma flourished when people immigrated to the California gold fields and as a result,crime rate also increased a lot in the territory.Yuma also got access to many things,like electricity which was not available to many people at the time.The prison had access to many things like purified water The prison could house a total of 350 prisoners.The prison housed about…show more content… The Yuma Territorial Prison was constructed with many things in mind,like adobe bricks which would help keep the prison cool during the summer,this prevented the prisoners from dying of heat related illnesses.The majority of the prisons construction was done by prisoners and on July 1st,1876 the first seven prisoners moved into the prison.The Yuma territorial prison was located on a hill,which made getting building supplies easy,as stone that was queried from the hill was used to make the prison,as well as adobe that was taken from the nearby Colorado river. The Yuma Territorial Prison was built with many things like fans,electricity and may other amenities not available to the city of Yuma.There was a desert located to the South of the prison,as well as the gila and colorado river nearby,which would discourage escape.The prison had a dark cell that was used to punish the criminals as a form of solitary confinement.The Southern Pacific Railroad would make sure that supplies would always be available at the prison.Fort Yuma was nearby and would possibly be a deterrent for escaping prisoners.The prison was originally going to built in Phoenix but two legislators,Jose Maria Redondo and R.B. Kelly.They thought that the prison would be good for the local economy so they decided to build the prison in Yuma.The prison had an exterior wall that was 18 feet tall,8 feet thick at its base,and was 5 feet thick at the top.This was very useful as it allowed the prison guards a footpath to patrol the
