The arid city of Yuma is known for several things: it supplies the vast majority of America’s winter lettuce, it hosts the endlessly entertaining annual Yuma Lettuce Festival, and is also the location of a terrifying and haunted old west prison. (I’ll now give you a second to come to terms with the facts contained in that last sentence.) If you’re scratching your head and wondering how this benign lettuce-centric desert town could possibly feature something so…unrelated to salad, keep reading.
Yuma Wasn’t Always Known for Lettuce
Before people figured out that you could somehow grow leafy greens in the desert, Yuma was an old west outpost known for Western murder and mayhem (you’ve heard of the movie 3:10 to Yuma, right?) So many people broke the law that in 1875, the powers that be decided to build a prison to house them all. But instead of, you know, hiring workers to do that, they just had the prisoners do it. And they obviously did a great job, since the prison is still standing strong 150 years later. It’s a very medieval looking place, with bleak stone walls and iron gates.
Although the last prisoner left Yuma Territorial in 1909, Yuma’s rough reputation didn’t die. Yuma High School occupied the buildings for a few years before World War 1, and when they beat a team from Phoenix, the sore-loser Phoenicians called them “Criminals”…and the name stuck like superglue. To this day, Yuma High School’s mascot is called the Criminals, complete with “Cell Block” themed merchandise. Yuma High is definitely elite when it comes to taking life’s lemons and making lemonade!
Is It Really Haunted, Though?
Well, that question depends very much on whether or not you believe in ghosts, but there have been numerous reports of strange ghost-like events happening in the prison. One particular part of the prison that is susceptible to angry spirits is, understandably, the “Dark Cell” where solitary confinement was carried out. Visitors to the dark cell have experienced lots of weird happenings, like “not feeling alone” and hearing people calling out to them when no one is around. That cell isn’t the only haunted place: one playful ghost enjoys picking up and throwing coins out of the cash register at the gift shop!
All of us at Tucson’s Xcel Delivery aren’t lettuce experts, we’re delivery experts. We offer cross dock services, distribution services, and even handle large deliveries that other companies can’t manage. To talk to our 24/7 dispatcher, call us at 520-408-7200 or visit us online today.
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