Women of the Arizona State Prison

Winnie Ruth Judd, Eva Dugan, Dr. Rose Boido, and Eva Wilbur Cruz shared one thing in common. All were incarcerated at the Arizona State Prison in Florence.  Some of their stories made national headlines. Who were they and how did they end up in the Florence prison? How did their crimes and trials impact Arizona?  Through the use of photographs, prison records and newspaper articles, their stories are told against the background of women in the Arizona prison system in general, covering the transition from the Yuma Territorial prison to Florence to the women on death row currently.

H. Christine Reid is intrigued by Arizona’s diverse and rich western heritage as a writer and researcher at the Pinal County Historical Society. She has been a Community Scholar for the ASU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute since 2007. She continues a deep interest in Arizona history while serving on many of the town of Florence’s heritage and historic preservation projects. She leads cemetery and historic district walking tours in Florence. Committed to sharing history in a lively manner, she presents the sometimes hidden or forgotten aspects of Arizona’s characters and history.