2500

The Yuma State Teritorial Prison was opened July 1, 1876 and housed inmates for 33 years until it became overcrowded. It was closed and used briefly as a high school from 1910 to 1914 and is why Yuma High's football team's name became the Criminals. Later abandoned, it was used in the 1930's by itinerants as housing. There is graffiti scratched on the walls of some cells. Names of complete family members are found in in one. The prison is now a state park and museum. I visited there a while back and took a photo of number 2500's picture to draw. The original shows him holding a specially designed mirror that fits on his shoulder to give a side view. A clever idea because the negatives were probably glass plates and expensive. I'm not sure what type of miscreant he was. I assume he was a robber since most of the 3069 inmates that stayed there over the years were. I also don't know why they displayed his photo. There wasn't any caption about him. Maybe the warden gave out prizes when they hit 2500.