Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park

Open from 1876 to 1909, Yuma Territorial Prison earned the nickname "Hellhole of the West" for the more than 3,000 inmates who passed through its harsh conditions, including the notorious "dark cell" used for punishment — a lightless chamber where guards reportedly threw in scorpions for their glow. Now a state historic park, it's regularly ranked among the most haunted sites in the country: visitors and staff report disembodied screaming, cold spots, and apparitions throughout the grounds. One recurring story describes a little girl in a red dress, said to have drowned in the nearby Colorado River while retrieving a doll, and an angry voice in the dark cell that some visitors say has ordered them to leave.