History of the Naval Medicine Annex
BOUGHT IN 1929: The site was purchased as an
annex to Fly Field, a Navy airfield. Fly Field was
called YUMA YUCCA LOT II on surveyor maps
and was purchased by the Navy from M. Purcell
Tyson, a cattle farmer. Fly Field held several tin
hangars, barracks, some chemical toilets and little
else. Over the years, Fly Field changed hands and
names multiple times. It is now Marine Corps Air
Station Yuma, which houses Marines and families
next to the Yuma international airport.
PRISONERS AT FLY FIELD: A brief article in the Yuma Sun newspaper from 30 DEC 1929 indicates that the government moved five truckloads of “prisoners” to Fly Field. A perimeter of wire fencing and guard towers were noted by one report.
ANNEX BUILT IN 1930: The annex facility was built by the Navy as an expansion on Fly Field. Ground was broken by the Arizona Governor Dan Moody on 12 JAN 1929, and it opened 7 JUL 1930. The annex maintained its own guard booths, parking lot, pavilion, and cafeteria. At its height, it was staffed by 35 doctors and over 120 support staff.
A state record of 254 facility employees from 1930 to 1947 can be found. Almost every person on the list is dead. Three names of those still living: Peter Delgado (living in Yuma), Ophelia Winters (living in Bennington, Vermont), and Luisa Perez (living in Albuquerque, New Mexico).
TUBERCULOSIS RESEARCH: Navy records indicate the annex was used to treat tuberculosis, and it housed patients for long periods of time.
MUSTANG, ARIZONA: Mustang, Arizona, was founded for employees of the annex. Its establishment was underwritten by the state and the Department of the Navy. The town still exists today, just over 1 km from the annex.
CLOSED IN 1947: The Naval Medicine Annex was closed in 1947 by the Department of the Navy. No reason was given to the public. Several newspaper articles note a “shift in research locations to New Mexico.”
PRISONERS AT FLY FIELD: A brief article in the Yuma Sun newspaper from 30 DEC 1929 indicates that the government moved five truckloads of “prisoners” to Fly Field. A perimeter of wire fencing and guard towers were noted by one report.
ANNEX BUILT IN 1930: The annex facility was built by the Navy as an expansion on Fly Field. Ground was broken by the Arizona Governor Dan Moody on 12 JAN 1929, and it opened 7 JUL 1930. The annex maintained its own guard booths, parking lot, pavilion, and cafeteria. At its height, it was staffed by 35 doctors and over 120 support staff.
A state record of 254 facility employees from 1930 to 1947 can be found. Almost every person on the list is dead. Three names of those still living: Peter Delgado (living in Yuma), Ophelia Winters (living in Bennington, Vermont), and Luisa Perez (living in Albuquerque, New Mexico).
TUBERCULOSIS RESEARCH: Navy records indicate the annex was used to treat tuberculosis, and it housed patients for long periods of time.
MUSTANG, ARIZONA: Mustang, Arizona, was founded for employees of the annex. Its establishment was underwritten by the state and the Department of the Navy. The town still exists today, just over 1 km from the annex.
CLOSED IN 1947: The Naval Medicine Annex was closed in 1947 by the Department of the Navy. No reason was given to the public. Several newspaper articles note a “shift in research locations to New Mexico.”
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