I went to prison

We are now in Yuma Arizona. Yuma is a town of RV parks. It seems like there is one on every block. The first thing I did on arriving in town was to head down to the territorial prison. The prison opened in 1876 and was used as a prison until 1909. After that it was used as a school and provided housing during the depression. A total of 3069 prisoners, including 39 women called the prison home during it's 33 years of operation.

The sign uses some of the original bars.

This is the original guard tower and was built over a huge cistern that provided water to the prison.

The sally port that was the main gate to the interior of the prison.

I took several more pictures of the rest of the prison which I will share in the next few days. After the prison it was on to Wal-Mart to resupply and to sit and watch the Cardinals home opener. After a nights sleep I'll be heading out of Yuma and starting north. As for Yuma, my impression is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to winter here. It reminds me of the Rio Grande Valley, too many people, too much traffic.

Visiting prisons, as long as you don't have to stay is just another way to enjoy the good life.