Alcatraz Visiting The Past
Monday, March 31st, 2008
The island was discovered by a man by the name of Juan de Ayala and was named after a seabird. Alcatraz has served as both a military stockade as well as a maximum-security prison in the past. Currently, Alcatraz is a historic site that is overseen by the National Park Service. The island is open to public tours for those that would like to visit the island for educational or personal interest reasons. People come from all over the world to visit the famous prison and are usually shocked that the island is beautiful and contains more than just a big, ominous prison!
Those that would like to visit can do so by taking a short ferry ride from Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Some of the things that visitors find most interesting when they visit Alcatraz is the abandoned prison, one of the oldest operating lighthouses in the United States, military walls and defensive structures, rock pools, a seabird colony, as well as breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay.
Alcatraz was first used as a military installation as early as 1850, and became a maximum-security prison by 1933 when the United States Disciplinary Barracks on the island were obtained by the United States Department of Justice. The prison became a federal prison in the summer of 1934. The prison was in use for 29 years and was known to house some of the most infamous criminals such as Al Capone, Alvin Karpis, and Robert Franklin Stroud. Alvin Karpis is known as the inmate that served the longest sentence at Alcatraz prison.
The prison was not the only thing located on the island during the 29 years that the prison was in operation. On the island was also housing for the Bureau of Prison staff as well as their families. Many people grew up calling Alcatraz island home, and those that called it home have formed the Alcatraz Alumni Association. This Association actually holds an annual celebration in which the staff and family gets together to commemorate the opening of the prison and to share stories of growing up on what has become known as the “rock”.
After 29 years of operation the doors to the prison closed to prisoners. The reason for the closure is not because the prison hadn’t been successful, but because it was far more expensive than more traditional prisons. There were also some environmental concerns about the prison as the San Francisco Bay was being polluted from the sewage of more than 300 people that were living on the island. Authorities agreed that it would be cheaper in the long run to build a more traditional land bound prison instead of continuing to pay for the Alcatraz prison, so the doors were ordered shut and the prisoners were sent to other prisons in the area.
The island was inhabited again in the late 1960s by a group of American Indians known as the Indians of All Tribes. Unfortunately, during this group’s occupation of the land many of the original buildings were destroyed such as the recreational hall, the warden’s home, some apartments, as well as the Coast guard quarters. After just a year and a half the government forced the group to leave, though many American Indian groups still hold ceremonies on the island today such as on Columbus Day. The island offers a beautiful setting for such gatherings and since there is a Native American history on the island, it seems to be the perfect setting.
Alcatraz Island has become known as “The Rock” and was actually shown in a movie by the same name. That is not the only movie that has been filmed there though; several movies have been filmed there as early as 1937.
Alcatraz was considered prime land for a prison because escaping was not simple during the days of its operation. Being surrounded by water, few prisoners were even willing to consider an escape attempt. The prison never reported any successful escapes, as most of those that attempted were shot dead or would drown in the ice-cold San Francisco Bay water. In all, it’s known that 36 prisoners were involved in escape attempts of those, seven were shot and killed, two drowned, five are unaccounted for, and the remaining number were recaptured. The most famous escape attempt is the escape of Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin. These men disappeared from their cells in 1962 and made their way away from the island with raincoats and plywood paddles. The men were never seen again, so it is not known if the men survived their escape or not. There have never been any reported sightings of the men, and the FBI found some of their equipment, but the men were never found. Though it was thought that escape from Alcatraz was impossible, the escape of these men has prompted plenty of trials and experiments that have proved with the right resources, proper planning, cooperating weather, and a desire to escape that it is possible.
When visiting Alcatraz there are plenty of souvenirs that you can take away with you to remember your visit. Though the island was once the home to prisoners, now it welcomes visitors from all walks of life to talk a walk through history and see where some of the most infamous criminals were housed during their prison sentences. Many report that even all this time later that the prison has a very ominous and dark feeling to it. The prison remains in remarkably good condition, providing visitors with the opportunity to step into a cell to experience the confines that the prisoners did during their stay.
For some reason, The Rock continues to be one of the most fascinating parts of modern United States history. Alcatraz Island has an almost mystical quality about it. Thousands of people continue to visit the abandoned prison each year, which is why the prison continues to be kept up.
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