Yuma Territorial Prison up for Most Haunted Destination

The Yuma Territorial Prison has once again been nominated as one of USA Today’s Most Haunted Destinations. The historic prison won the No. 1 spot last year.

The Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, which oversees the historic state park, is asking community members to help the prison retain the title. Voting went live Monday.

USA Today’s 10Best contest website is asking people to vote for their favorite haunted spot in the nation. “The United States is filled with purportedly haunted locations, each with their own ghost stories and paranormal occurrences,” it noted.

People can vote once per day until Aug. 24. However, YCNHA invites supporters to vote multiple times a day from different devices to secure the top spot again. The winning places will be announced Sept. 4.

To vote, go to https:// www.10best.com/awards/ travel/best-haunted-destination/.

The Yuma prison faced stiff competition last year, going up against sinister-sounding destinations like a West Virginia lunatic asylum and the Queen Mary, which is docked in Long Beach, California. However, the Yuma community rallied and got the local landmark to the top of the list.

USA Today reported the historic prison has long had a reputation as a “hub of paranormal activity,” with stories of the “spirits of inmates on death row, a woman wandering the banks of the nearby Colorado River looking for her drowned daughter and a small child in a red dress who pinches passersby.”

From 1876 to 1909, the prison housed 3,069 men and women convicted of crimes in the Arizona Territory. Once the prison closed, it became the temporary home of Yuma High School, leading to the adoption of the “Criminal” mascot.

Throughout its history, the prison has had many other “firsts” in Yuma: first library, first hospital, first to have electricity and first to have air conditioning.

The prison has hosted about a half a dozen film crews over the past few years, including the Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures,” a Buzzfeed team that spent the night, Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race” and a few filmmakers.

Through September, park hours at the prison are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Masks are required when visiting the ranger stations, restrooms, stores or historic buildings. Masks are also required while outside if social distancing cannot be maintained.

The cost is $8 for adults, $4 for children ages 7 to 13, and free for children 6 and under.

For more information, visit www.yumaprison.org or call 928-783-4771.