Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles (2.

4 km) offshore from San Francisco, California, United States.

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!ften referred to as
"The Rock", the small island #as de$elo%ed #ith facilities for a li&htho'se, a military fortification, a military %rison (1()(), and a federal %rison from
1*++ 'ntil 1*)+.
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Be&innin& in ,o$em-er 1*)*, the island #as occ'%ied for more than 1* months -y a &ro'% of .-ori&inal %eo%les from San
Francisco #ho #ere %art of a #a$e of ,ati$e acti$ism across the nation #ith %'-lic %rotests thro'&h the 1*/0s. 1n 1*/2, .lcatra2 -ecame a national
recreation area and recei$ed desi&nation as a ,ational 3istoric 4andmark in 1*().
5oday, the island6s facilities are mana&ed -y the ,ational 7ark Ser$ice as %art of the 8olden 8ate ,ational 9ecreation .rea: it is o%en to to'rs.
;isitors can reach the island -y ferry ride from 7ier ++, near Fisherman6s <harf, San Francisco. 3orn-lo#er Cr'ises and =$ents, o%eratin& 'nder
the name .lcatra2 Cr'ises, is the official ferry %ro$ider to and from the island. 3orn-lo#er la'nched the nation6s first hy-rid %ro%'lsion ferry in 200(,
the 3orn-lo#er 3y-rid, #hich no# ser$es the island, dockin& at the .lcatra2 <harf.
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1t is home to the a-andoned %rison, the site of the oldest o%eratin& li&htho'se on the <est Coast of the United States, early military fortifications,
and nat'ral feat'res s'ch as rock %ools and a sea-ird colony (mostly <estern 8'lls, cormorants, and e&rets). .ccordin& to a 1*/1 doc'mentary on
the 3istory of .lcatra2, the island meas'res 1,)/5 feet (511 m) -y 5*0 feet (1(0 m) and is 1+5 feet (41 m) at hi&hest %oint d'rin& mean tide.
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3o#e$er, the total area of the island is re%orted to -e 22 acres ((.* ha).
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4andmarks on the island incl'de the >ain Cellho'se, ?inin& 3all, 4i-rary, 4i&htho'se, the r'ins of the <arden6s 3o'se and !fficers Cl'-, 7arade
8ro'nds, B'ildin& )4, <ater 5o#er, ,e# 1nd'stries B'ildin&, >odel 1nd'stries B'ildin&, and the 9ecreation @ard.
,ati$e .mericans ke%t #ell a#ay from the island, callin& it "=$il 1sland" and -elie$in& it to -e c'rsed.
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5he firstS%aniard to doc'ment the island
#as A'an >an'el de .yala in 1//5, #ho charted San Francisco Bay and named one of the three islands he identified as the "4a 1sla de los
.lcatraces," #hich translates as "5he 1sland of the 7elicans,"
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from the archaic S%anish alcatraz (in =n&lishB "%elican"), a loan #ord from
.ra-ic CDEFGH al-qaras, meanin& .l-atross.
!ften referred to as "The Rock", the small island #as de$elo%ed #ith facilities for a li&htho'se, a military fortification, a military %rison (1()(), and
a federal %rison from 1*++ 'ntil 1*)+.
.lcatra2 #as desi&ned to hold %risoners #ho contin'o'sly ca'sed tro'-le at other federal %risons.
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.t *B40 am in the mornin& of .'&'st 11, 1*+4,
the first -atch of 1+/ %risoners arri$ed at .lcatra2, arri$in& -y railroad from the United States 7enitentiary in 4ea$en#orth, Iansas at Santa ;enetia,
California, -efore -ein& escorted to .lcatra2, handc'ffed in hi&h sec'rity coaches and &'arded -y some )0 s%ecial FB1 a&ents, U.S. >arshals and
rail#ay sec'rity officials.
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>ost of the %risoners #ere notorio's -ank ro--ers and m'rderers.
?'rin& the 2* years it #as in 'se, the Jail held some of the most notorio's criminals in .merican history,
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s'ch as .l Ca%one, 9o-ert Franklin
Stro'd (the Birdman of .lcatra2), 8eor&e ">achine 8'n" Ielly, B'm%y Aohnson, 9afael Cancel >iranda (a mem-er of the7'erto 9ican ,ationalist
7arty #ho attacked the United States Ca%itol -'ildin& in 1*54),
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>ickey Cohen, .rth'r 9. "?oc" Barker, Aames "<hitey" B'l&er, and .l$in "Cree%y"
Iar%is (#ho ser$ed more time at .lcatra2 than any other inmate). 1t also %ro$ided ho'sin& for the B'rea' of 7risons staff and their families.
?'rin& its 2* years of o%eration, the %enitentiary claimed that no %risoner s'ccessf'lly esca%ed. . total of +) %risoners made 14 esca%e attem%ts,
t#o men tryin& t#ice: 2+ #ere ca'&ht, siK #ere shot and killed d'rin& their esca%e, t#o dro#ned, and fi$e are listed as "missin& and %res'med
dro#ned".
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5he most $iolent occ'rred on >ay 2, 1*4), #hen a failed esca%e attem%t -y siK %risoners led to the Battle of .lcatra2. !n A'ne 11,
1*)2, Frank >orris, Aohn .n&lin, and Clarence .n&lin carried o't one of the most intricate esca%es e$er de$ised.
Be&innin& on ,o$em-er 20, 1*)*, a &ro'% of ,ati$e .mericans called United 1ndians of .ll 5ri-es, mostly colle&e st'dents from San Francisco,
occ'%ied the island to %rotest federal %olicies related to .merican 1ndians. 5he occ'%iers, #ho stayed on the island for nearly t#o years, demanded
the island6s facilities -e ada%ted and ne# str'ct'res -'ilt for an 1ndian ed'cation center, ecolo&y center and c'lt'ral center. 5he occ'%ation ended
on A'ne 11, 1*/1.
Alcatraz was obtained by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 1934. The former military detention center became Americas first
maimum security ci!ilian "enitentiary. This #"rison systems "rison$ was s"ecifically desi%ned to house the most horrendous
"risoners& the troublema'ers that other federal "risons could not successfully detain. (ts isolated location made it ideal for the
eile of hardened criminals& and a strict daily routine tau%ht inmates to follow "rison rule and re%ulation.
The )reat *e"ression witnessed some of the most heinous criminal acti!ity in modern American history& and Alcatraz se!erity
was well suited to its time. Alcatraz was home to notorious criminals includin% Al #+carface$ ,a"one& who was con!icted of ta
e!asion and s"ent fi!e years on the island. Al!in #,ree"y$ -ar"is& the FB(s first #Public .nemy$ was a /0 year resident of
Alcatraz. The most famous "risoner was Alas'an murderer 1obert #Birdman$ +troud& who s"ent 12 years on Alcatraz. 3!er its /9
years of o"eration& the federal "rison housed more than 1&455 con!icts.
*aily life in the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was harsh. Prisoners were %i!en four ri%hts. They included medical attention&
shelter& food and clothin%. 1ecreational acti!ities and family !isits had to be earned throu%h hard wor'. Punishments for bad
beha!ior included hard labor& wearin% a 1/ "ound ball and chain& and loc'6downs where "risoners were 'e"t in solitary
confinement& restricted to bread and water. There were a total of 14 esca"e attem"ts by o!er 35 "risoners. 7ost were cau%ht&
se!eral were shot& and a few were swallowed by the chillin% swells of the +an Francisco Bay.
Robert Franklin Stroud (Aan'ary 2(, 1(*0 L ,o$em-er 21, 1*)+), kno#n as the "Birdman of Alcatraz", #as a federal .merican %risoner, cited as
one of the most notorio's criminals in .merican history.
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?'rin& his time at 4ea$en#orth 7enitentiary he reared and sold -irds and -ecame a
res%ected ornitholo&ist, -'t des%ite his nickname, he #as not %ermitted to kee% his -irds at .lcatra2, #here he #as incarcerated from 1*42.
Born in Seattle, Stro'd ran a#ay from his a-'si$e father at the a&e of 1+, and -y the time he #as 1(, he had -ecome a %im% in .laska. 1n Aan'ary
1*0*, he shot and killed a -arman #ho had attacked one of his %rostit'tes, Iitty !MBrien. 3e t'rned himself in to the a'thorities. 3e #as fo'nd &'ilty
of mansla'&hter on 2+ .'&'st 1*0*, and sentenced to 12 years in the federal %enitentiary on 7'&et So'nd6s >c,eil 1sland. Stro'd &ained a
re%'tation as an eKtremely dan&ero's inmate #ho freN'ently had confrontations #ith fello# inmates and staff, and on 2) >arch 1*1), he sta--ed
&'ard .ndre# F. 5'rner to death in the cafeteria for stri%%in& Stro'd of his $isitation %ri$ile&e to meet his yo'n&er -rother, #hom he had not seen in
ei&ht years. Con$icted of firstOde&ree m'rder and sentenced to eKec'tion -yhan&in&, after se$eral trials, Stro'd6s sentence #as e$ent'ally
comm'ted to life im%risonment.
Stro'd -e&an ser$in& life in solitary confinement at 4ea$en#orth, #here in 1*20, after disco$erin& a nest #ith three inJ'red s%arro#s in the %rison
yard, he -e&an raisin& them, and #ithin a fe# years had acN'ired a collection of some +00 canaries. 3e -e&an eKtensi$e research into them after
-ein& &ranted eN'i%ment -y a radical %risonOreformin& #arden, %'-lishin& Diseases of Canaries in 1*++, #hich #as sm'&&led o't of 4ea$en#orth
and sold en masse,
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and a later edition,Stroud's Digest on the Diseases of Birds (1*4+), #ith '%dated, s%ecific information. 3e made se$eral
im%ortant contri-'tions to a$ian %atholo&y, most nota-ly a c're for the hemorrha&ic se%ticemia family of diseases, &ainin& m'ch res%ect and some
le$el of sym%athy amon& ornitholo&ists and farmers. Stro'd ran a s'ccessf'l -'siness from inside %rison, -'t his -irdin& acti$ities inf'riated the
%rison staff, and he #as e$ent'ally transferred to .lcatra2 in 1*42 after it #as disco$ered that Stro'd had -een secretly makin& alcohol 'sin& some
of the eN'i%ment in his cell.
Stro'd -e&an ser$in& a 1/Oyear term at .lcatra2 Federal 7enitentiary on 1* ?ecem-er 1*42, and -ecame inmate P5*4. 1n 1*4+, he #as assessed
-y %sychiatrist9omney >. 9itchey, #ho dia&nosed him as a %sycho%ath, -'t #ith an 1.Q. of 1+4. Stri%%ed of his -irds and eN'i%ment, he #rote a
history of the %enal system entitled Looking Outward: A Histor of the !"S" #rison Sste$ fro$ Colonial %i$es to the &or$ation of the Bureau of
#risons. 3e s%ent siK years in se&re&ation and another 11 confined to the hos%ital #in& -eca'se of his health. 1n 1*5*, #ith his health failin&, Stro'd
#as transferred to the >edical Center for Federal 7risoners in S%rin&field, >isso'ri, #here he stayed 'ntil his death on 21 ,o$em-er 1*)+, at the
a&e of /+, ha$in& -een incarcerated for the last 54 years of his life, of #hich 42 #ere in solitary confinement. 3e had -een st'dyin& French near the
end of his life. 9o-ert Stro'd is -'ried in >etro%olis, 1llinois. Carl Sifakais considers Stro'd to ha$e -een "%ossi-ly the -estOkno#n eKam%le of selfO
im%ro$ement and reha-ilitation in the U.S. %rison."
Clarence Anglin (>ay 11, 1*+1 L missin& since A'ne 11, 1*)2) #as an .merican criminal #ho took %art in the A'ne 1*)2 .lcatra2 esca%e and #as
ne$er heard from a&ain.
John William Anglin (>ay 2, 1*+0 L missin& since A'ne 11, 1*)2) #as an .merican criminal #ho took %art in the A'ne 1*)2 .lcatra2 esca%e and
#as ne$er heard from a&ain.
Alphonse abriel !Al! Capone (/ l k p o n /: Aan'ary 1/, 1(** L Aan'ary 25, 1*4/) #as an .merican &an&ster #ho led a 7rohi-itionOera crime
syndicate. 5heChica&o !'tfit, #hich s'-seN'ently also -ecame kno#n as the "Ca%ones", #as dedicated to sm'&&lin& and -ootle&&in& liN'or, and
other ille&al acti$ities, s'ch as%rostit'tion, in Chica&o from the early 1*20s to 1*+1.
Basil !The "#l! Banghart (1*01L1*(2) #as an .merican criminal, -'r&lar and %rison esca%e artist. .ltho'&h a s'ccessf'l "stick'% artist" d'rin&
the 1*20s and early 1*+0s, he is -est remem-ered for his in$ol$ement in the hoaK kidna%%in& of Chica&o mo-ster Aake "5he Bar-er" Factor, a
crime for #hich he and 9o&er 5o'hy#ere e$ent'ally %ro$en innocent after nearly 20 years in %rison.
7risoners, many of #hom #ere declared insane after ser$in& time at .lcatra2,
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re%orted %ec'liar #his%erin& so'nds in the middle of the ni&ht,
floatin& -l'e li&hts and fi&'res, moanin&, and the clankin& of chains in cells #hich #ere kno#n to -e 'nocc'%ied.
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!ne inmate in ?O-lock #as
re%orted to ha$e seen &lo#in& red eyes in the dark and screamed for ho'rs.
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3e #as fo'nd dead the follo#in& mornin& #ith a %'r%le face, -'l&in&
eyes, and 'nidentified stran&le marks aro'nd his throat.
8'ards initially la'&hed at the claims of &hosts -y inmates -'t as time %ro&ressed some #ere re%orted to ha$e eK%erienced 'n's'al acti$ity
themsel$es, incl'din& feelin& cold s%ots, 'nseen fin&ers on the -ack of their neck, and cryin& in the ni&ht.
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5he first <arden of .lcatra2, Aames ..
Aohnston, #as re%'ted to ha$e heard a #oman so--in& #hile cond'ctin& to'r of the %rison.
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!cc'%ants of the %rison re%orted seein& %risoners
from the early military %rison in 1*th cent'ry &ar- #alkin& the corridors in .OBlock #hich #o'ld disa%%ear #hen a%%roached -y the &'ards, and one
mem-er of staff re%'tedly sa# a &an& of ,ati$e .merican %risoners marchin& aro'nd in a circle -efore $anishin&.
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7hantom &'nfire, cannon -lasts
and fire alarms &oin& off on their o#n accord ha$e all -een re%orted