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There is a high school in Arizona whose mascot is a criminal, and the story behind it starts with students actually going to school inside a prison. Yuma Territorial Prison opened on July 1, 1876. The Arizona Territory budgeted $25,000 for the project, and prisoners themselves performed much of the construction, including building some of the cells they would eventually live in. Over the next 33 years, 3,069 prisoners passed through the prison, including 29 women. Crimes ranged from polygamy to murder. Famous stagecoach robber Pearl Hart was among the inmates. Despite its brutal desert location, the prison was surprisingly advanced for its time. It had amenities including electricity, sanitation and a library when many people living in Yuma still lacked them. Locals sarcastically referred to it as the “Country Club on the Colorado.” The prison also had the infamous Dark Cell for punishment. The prison closed in 1909 as inmates were transferred to the new prison in Florence. The...

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