Cast in 1875 by W.T. Garratt's Brass and Bell Foundry in San Francisco, California, this bell was carried by sailing ship up the Gulf of California, transferred to a steamboat, and taken up the Colorado River to Yuma. Its original purpose was to sound an alarm for escape, and its ringing could be heard for many miles, alerting the people of Yuma to an escape, riot, or worse. In later years, it also called men to and from work. After the prison closed, the bell remained silent until 1914, when the Somerton Baptist Church purchased it. For the next 23 years it rang for joy and praise. In 1937, Rev. Lloyd D. Wells sought to have it preserved and returned to its original location, and Arizona State Parks purchased it to become part of the Prison museum.