YUMA HISTORY

The last time Patty and I toured the old Yuma Territorial Prison, it was back in 2010, and according to the volunteers back then, it was due to close because of the state budget crisis.   Nancy had never seen what's left of the prison, so we drove over there to find it's still open, mostly because the folks in Yuma came up with the funds to keep it going. 

The prison sits on a hill, overlooking the railroad and highway bridges that both span the Colorado River. The two bridges were built in the 1920's, and the vehicle bridge was the last link in the "ocean to ocean" highway.  The Southern Pacific railroad relocated their bridge to this higher ground, after having to rebuild their lower, pivot bridge several times, due to the annual spring floods.  Before Dam building began on the Colorado River, much of this entire valley was under water each spring.  At one point not to far from these two bridges, when the river flooded, it was up to 17 kilometers in width.
 

At noon, we tagged along on Gary's guided tour of the prison, and I learned quite a bit that I had either forgotten, or simply didn't know.  It's been a lot of years since I first came to Yuma on my Harley, for what was, and is still called the "Yuma Prison Run".  Back in the early 1980's, this was an event that attracted several thousand bikers to this town on the Colorado River.
 

The Yuma Prison was open for business for a little over 30 years, closing it's doors to the bad guys in 1909.  The living conditions with 6 men to a cell, with no plumbing, no heat, and no electricity, must have been pretty awful.  If some of today's hard core criminals faced these kind of prison conditions, just maybe they would think twice about being repeat offenders.

From the prison, we drove a short distance to the Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park, which I had never visited.  This was an Army supply depot in the late 1800's, that was stocked by riverboats coming up the Colorado River from the Gulf of California.  From Yuma, the supplies were distributed by wagon to several Army posts located throughout the southwest.  

This traveling Alcatraz exhibit was located in one of the large depot buildings.

 

If there's a train anywhere close, I can find it.  This passenger car was built by the Southern Pacific RR in Sacramento, ending up on display here in the Quartermaster Depot Park.

 

No info on this old, steel wheel tractor, but judging by it's little engine, it must date back at least 80 years.  My Kubota would look huge next to this thing!

We had a late lunch at Famous Dave's BBQ, and it was OK, but my beef brisket was a little on the dry side.  I fixed that real quick with a bunch of BBQ sauce, and then the world was right, and my tummy was full when we left.  Today, the outdoor market place opens up, and I think that's where we're headed.