In the 33-year prison operation, a total of 3.069 prisoners, including 29 women, were detained in the Yuma Territorial Prison. Contrary to his dark reputation, the prison was managed humanely and was a model of his time, as evidenced by various extant documents.

Yet there were dark cells for detainees who broke the prison rules. There were also bullets on chains for detainees who had failed to escape. In their free time, the prisoners engaged in craftsmanship, the products were sold on Sundays after the service in the public bazaar in prison.

The prisoners were regularly monitored medically and always had access to a good hospital. Many prisoners learned to read and write during their imprisonment. There was a library and the visitor’s visit fee were used to buy new books. One of the first power plants in the west supplied the prison with electric light and operated a ventilation system in the cell block.

We visited Yuma on a very warm spring day in 2011. The museum is very interesting.