Alcatraz Island

Visited: June 2014

Nearby city: San Francisco, CA

"If you disobey the rules of society, they send you to prison; if you disobey the rules of prison, they send you to us. Alcatraz is not like any prison in the United States. Here, every inmate is confined alone. To an individual cell...I don't have good conduct programs, I do not have inmate counsels. Inmates here have no say in what they do; they do as they're told. You're not permitted to have newspapers or magazines carrying news; knowledge of the outside world is what we tell you. From this day on, your world will be everything that happens in this building."

-Patrick McGoohan as the Warden, from the 1979 film "Escape from Alcatraz"

In the sparkling waters near the entrance of the San Francisco Bay sits a tiny island that once housed perhaps the most (in)famous prison in the entire world. Known as "The Rock" the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was specifically designed and, thanks to the natural setting, to be virtually inescapable. 

Before it became a prison, the island was home to a military garrison after the U.S. acquired this territory after the Mexican War in 1848. During the Civil War the fort saw no battles, but it was used to imprison Confederate sympathizers and privateers. At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, the fort was exclusively used as a military prison. 

In 1934, the main cell unit was built and the island was used as a federal prison. Inmates who caused trouble at other federal prisons would be sent to Alcatraz. They essentially put all the rotten eggs into one basket. For the next 30 years, the prison would hold some of the most notorious criminals in American history: Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, Robert Stroud (the "Birdman of Alcatraz"), Mickey Cohen, and Creepy Karpis. 

The prison proudly boasted that there were no successful escapes from Alcatraz. 36 prisoners made a total of 14 separate attempts to escape. 23 were caught, 6 shot and killed in their escape, 2 drowned, and 5 went missing, never to be seen again, presumed drowned. 

In 1946, a failed escape attempt led to the deaths of 3 convicts and 2 correctional officers, and 11 more officers wounded in what is now dubbed "The Battle of Alcatraz." In June 1962, Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin conducted an elaborate escape attempt involving papier-mache dummies with human hair stolen from the barbershop as decoys, an electric drill improvised from a vacuum cleaner motor to chisel away at the cell walls, and a makeshift inflatable raft made from 50 stolen raincoats. The three fugitives did make it off the island in their raft, but no evidence ever emerged that they reached the mainland. In 1979, the FBI suspended the investigation and concluded that they drowned during their escape attempt. This story was popularized in the Clint Eastwood film "Escape from Alcatraz."

On March 21, 1963, after reports showed that the cost of housing inmates in Alcatraz was much more expensive than other prisons and more importantly, that the decades of salt water saturation had severely eroded the buildings and would require prohibitively expensive repair, the prison was permanently closed.

The prison sat abandoned for many years. In 1969, a group of Native Americans (mostly students) occupied the island for 18 months to protest Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Termination Policy which would have ended federal government's recognition of Indian Tribes. During the occupation, the recreation hall, Coast Guard quarters, and the Warden's home were destroyed by fire. The protest ended when President Nixon rescinded the BIA's termination policy and established a new policy of self-determination and independent Tribal sovereignty. Graffiti from the occupation is still visible throughout the island.

In 1986, the island became a National Historic Landmark and is now managed by the NPS as a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Tours are very popular and I would recommend getting your tour ticket (15 minute ferry ride from Pier 33 included) very early when you plan your trip. You will find it difficult to buy a ticket on the same day you want to visit. Touring Alcatraz is a highlight for any trip to the Bay Area.

We took the very first ferry of the day for the tour. It was an overcast, rather ominous day for our ride over to the island.

the prison looms in the distance

graffiti from the Native American occupation on the water tower

Your tour will include headsets and an audio recording that will tell you all the history and juicy stories of Alcatraz. Make sure to take your time and listen to everything.

these are the ruins of the military garrison, the first building on the island

typical cell

"Every window in Alcatraz has a view of San Francisco" -Susanna Kaysen

a makeshift tool used to widen the bars of the cell and attempt escape

the lighthouse

the warden's home. All prison staff also lived on the island

view of downtown San Francisco

replica of the dummy used in Frank Morris's famous escape

the cafeteria

menu from March 21 1963, the last meal served at the prison

a good way to keep track of all the cutlery in the kitchen...wouldn't want this to fall in the wrong hands

on our way back to the mainland

Alcatraz is a must see for the Bay Area and well worth a visit. For more info: https://www.nps.gov/alca/index.htm. Again, make sure you get your tickets early (at least a couple of weeks).