We went to prison today!

December 11 (Monday)

We went to prison today. Well, for a visit anyway. The Yuma Territorial Prison Museum is definitely worth the trip. Located on the shores of the Colorado, it got its start in 1876 and housed prisoners for 33 years. The prison housed a total of 3069 inmates including 29 women. 

The grounds are very nicely kept. The view over the river and bridges is impressive.

Another beautiful flowering bush and I don't know the name. :-(

Upriver

Someone swimming in the middle of the river (to the left of the buoy)

  The river crossing here has been used since 1775. Due to a conflict with white men, the Quechan Indians revolted and stopped helping them cross the river.

The rebuilt mission in front of the tanks.

Three bridges. The foreground is the 'new' railway bridge, the middle grey bridge is still in use. In the background is Interstate 8.

The museum has some very interesting artifacts. The cell blocks are interesting, but the 'dark cell' which was used for solitary confinement  was plenty scary and stunk to high heaven. Not sure if that was on purpose but it had the desired effect. I got out of there quick!

The guard tower.

The 'Sally Port' or entrance.

Must have been scary entering through these gates to be incarcerated.

The Museum

Scale model of the prison

Quite a variety of bad guys.

The business end of a gatling gun.

The mirror used for mug shots.

Some notorious characters. Some of the women committed worse crimes than the men!

The cell block

Six men to a cell. Note the potty on the floor.

This place stunk!

The wall of the prison.

Women's cell

An escapee!

View from the guard tower

The guard tower. The circular structure below it is the cistern used to store water.

Time for lunch so we headed downtown. This was Monday and a lot of the small shops were closed. This is a good thing. Less opportunity to buy something! We tried Lute's Casino (thanks for the recommendation Bruce!). Quite a spot. The ambiance is entertaining for sure. Food wasn't bad either. The waiter wasn't too swift but he had 18 inch biceps, so I cut him some slack. :-)

I should have taken care of that waiter!!

On our first trip a week ago we didn't spend much time actually out walking so our impression from then to now has improved significantly. Downtown Yuma is very clean and well looked after. They are proud of their historic sites, which is really all of the downtown area. Lots of touristy shops wanting to lighten your wallet of course, but the buildings and their restored beauty is what really makes the stroll worthwhile.

Another unbelievable sunset over Yuma!

......Our View From Here!