Arizona Oddities

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Your Guides
  • Departments
    • Art
    • Dose of History
    • Culture
    • Natural Surroundings
    • Odd Observations
    • Weather Talk
    • Food & Dining
    • Small Town Scene
    • Recreation
    • Only in Arizona
  • Get the Books
  • Contact Us

logo

Arizona Oddities

  • Home
  • Your Guides
  • Departments
    • Art
    • Dose of History
    • Culture
    • Natural Surroundings
    • Odd Observations
    • Weather Talk
    • Food & Dining
    • Small Town Scene
    • Recreation
    • Only in Arizona
  • Get the Books
  • Contact Us
Dose of HistorySouthern Arizona
Home›Dose of History›Yuma High School’s “Criminal” Past and Present

Yuma High School’s “Criminal” Past and Present

By Sam Lowe
July 30, 2012
5264
4
Yuma Territorial Prison

Yuma Territorial Prison State Park. Photo Credit: Sam Lowe

YUMA — The Yuma Territorial Prison was a key player in the drama of the Old West. For 33 years, it served as a place of incarceration, and some of those who stayed within its walls were indeed desperate men and women with few redeeming qualities. But the prison was closed in 1909 and the inmates were moved to the new facility in Florence.

In 1910, the local school district needed space for a high school so they used the old lockup without making any major architectural changes. That relationship lasted until 1914, but the era is well-preserved because Yuma High School’s athletic teams are still nicknamed the Criminals.

The “Crims,” as they’re often called, are now housed in their own high school and the prison is now the Yuma Territorial Prison State Park.

(Visited 1,110 times, 2 visits today)

Related Posts:

  1. The Big, Bad Bulldog of Winslow
  2. Buildings at Phoenix High School are Out of This World
  3. Eagar Home to Nation’s Only Domed High School Football Stadium
  4. That Was One Big Sarah With a Dynamic Past
  5. Early Day Prospecting in Old Yuma County
Tagsschoolyuma

4 comments

  1. SaraD 5 August, 2013 at 10:27 Reply

    That must have been the earliest version of “Scared Straight”.

    Are there any records on the Class of 1914?

  2. Andrea Aker 5 August, 2013 at 13:13 Reply

    Not sure of any records off hand, but that could make a good story for the future!

    • SaraD 5 August, 2013 at 20:02 Reply

      If this is the correct group of students, it may be a starting point:

      http://www.cogenweb.com/yuma/data/schools/ychs/ychs1914.htm

      • SaraD 5 August, 2013 at 20:03 Reply

        For goodness sake, apparently I cannot read at ALL. Please disregard that link.

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Arizona Oddities Archive

Most Popular Posts

  • How to Keep Scorpions Away from Your Home
  • How to Keep Javelinas Away from Your Yard
  • What’s With All the Backyard Concrete-Block Fences…
  • Did You Know it’s Against the Law to Grow…
  • Four Deserts, One State

This Week Past Years

2018

  • The Anthem Hitchhiker Waits for a Ride to Nowhere

2017

  • Biosphere 2 Brings a Rainforest to the Arizona Desert

2016

  • Yuma's Bridge to Nowhere

2013

  • Winslow Chamber of Commerce Housed in Old Arizona Trading Post
  • Sculpture Garden at Yavapai College Features a Fancy, 5-Foot Frog

2012

  • What is Orange Stringy Substance Covering Desert Plants?
  • Arizona History Trivia 4: Can You Pass?

2011

  • What Causes "Pool of Water" Reflections on the Road?

2010

  • The Case of The Vanishing Train Robbers
  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Find a Famous Writer and Explorer's Mountain Retreat in Greer

    Find a Famous Writer and Explorer’s Historic Mountain Retreat in Greer

    By Taylor Haynes
    July 31, 2020
  • thousands of Mexican free tail bats make Phoenix tunnel their summer home

    Thousands of Mexican Free-Tail Bats Make Phoenix Tunnel Their Summer Home

    By Taylor Haynes
    July 17, 2020
  • How to Keep Scorpions Away from Your Home

    By Andrea Aker
    January 3, 2011
  • Javelina

    How to Keep Javelinas Away from Your Yard

    By Andrea Aker
    November 23, 2011
  • Phil Motta
    on
    August 27, 2021

    Why Does Downtown Phoenix Seem to Have Two Downtowns?

    I know this post ...
  • Carol
    on
    October 17, 2020

    The Tucson Artifacts are the Southwest’s Greatest Hoax

    lol ... these "clues" ...

Follow us

© Copyright 2009 – 2023 Aker Ink, LLC :: Arizona Oddities is published by Aker Ink.