The Yuma Territorial Prison did not disappoint! It was a pretty darn cool field trip to take. Even my 2-year-old had fun in the prison yard. I would've gotten much more out of the short video and all of the photos and memorabilia in the museum if I wasn't chasing after her, though.
At the entrance to the yard, is a plaque that lists the offenses of the folks who were imprisoned there. It was pretty interesting. Naturally, there were some murderers, thieves and rapists...someone was imprisoned for seduction with the promise of marriage, though!
Above, the kids are in the prison cellblock. Several of the cells were open for park guests to explore. The kids all got a big kick out of going inside and shutting the door! This place definitely sparked their imaginations, and they would've played here longer if the museum wasn't closing so soon after we made it there.
We were also able to explore "the dark cell", which was the punishment area for inmates who were misbehaving. It was pretty bleak, and definitely dark. My 2-year-old tripped on the do-hickey in the center to which guards chained the inmates, because it was so dark. We didn't stay in there long! They say the longest an inmate spent in there was 120 days! I could hardly stand a minute.
We also walked up to the top of the guard tower, and were treated to a beautiful view of surrounding Yuma!
Our three oldest kids (12, 12 and 9) all thoroughly enjoyed this field trip. My 2-year-old, while she didn't get much out of the informational or historical aspects of the prison, enjoyed being with the older kids and playing in the yard. This would be a great field trip for adults to do on their own as well.
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