Main Cellblock

Main Cellblock. Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park. The main cellblock was built to house up to 204 prisoners, but at times the Superintendent's report stated that up to 240 prisoners were kept here. Each cell was approximately 9 foot X 12 foot and could hold six prisoners. When space became limited, the more trusted prisoners would sleep in the hallways. Cells were constructed of strap iron and granite rock, which was plastered and whitewashed. The iron was shipped in from California via steamboat, but the granite was quarried by prisoners on site. Originally, the cellblock was completely enclosed and not exposed to the elements as it appears today. One of the earliest electrical generating plants in the West furnished power for lights and a ventilation system in the cellblock., In 1902, a hospital was constructed on top of the main cellblock. This well supplied facility contained a dispensary, a doctor's office, operating room, attendant's room, bathroom with flushing toilets, and a consumptive ward. It wasn't uncommon for prisoners from other institutions to be sent to the Territorial Prison at Yuma to recuperate their health.