Top 10 Facts about the Alcatraz Island

Photo sourced from Wikimedia

Top 10 Facts about the Alcatraz Island

This small island in California’s San Francisco Bay has been inhabited since the 19^th century.

It was first developed for a lighthouse to guide the seafarers, became a military base and later on housed a federal prison that had some of the most notorious criminals from the US.

While serving as a prison camp, there were no successful escapes reported and it was allegedly the most prison by prisoners; the reason being they did not share cells.

The island is now a tourist destination with tours around the prison. It is nicknamed the rock because it is isolated and protrudes from the water.

There are a couple of ghost stories about this island such as that Al Capone playing the flute. 

That said, let’s now look at the top 10 facts about Alcatraz Island.

1. The Island was named after Pelicans

This island got its name in 1775. It was named by a Spanish Lieutenant, Juan Manuel de Ayala. He was the first European to document the Island.

He named it after the inhabitants of the island, the Pelicans, the name, therefore, means the island of pelicans.

It was in Spanish ‘La Isla de Los Alcatraces’ which was shortened to Alcatraz by an English naval officer, Captain Beechey.

2. Alcatraz Island is under the National Park Service

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Today, the island is managed by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Before this, the Island was under the federal government.

There are tours to the Island by ferry that takes 15 minutes to Island. The Island is located between the San Francisco Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco.

3. The American Government used the Island as a fortress

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The American side acquired California through the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, this saw the end of the Mexican-American War.

During the California gold rush, the American army considered the suitability of the Island as a fortress to protect the San Francisco Bay.

In 1853, the United States Army Corps of Engineers began fortifying the island and completed it in 1858.

The first barracks was installed on the island with 200 soldiers, the same year it was completed.

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, they mounted 85 cannons around its perimeter.

The Island also served as a storage area for munitions, this kept them away from confederate sympathizers.

4. It was first used as a Military Prison

The location of the Island made it a perfect location for a military prison. Soldiers found to be guilty of the crime were locked up in the cold Island.

The first prisoners to be held there was in 1859. Later in 1861, the prison not only held soldiers but civil war prisoners of war.

Private citizens accused of treason were also locked up here.  By 1898, the population of prisoners increased from 26 to 450.

An earthquake in 1906 in San Francisco, led to the transfer of the civilian prisoners to Alcatraz for safe confinement. The prison was shut for good in 1963.

5. Prisoners were forced to build their own prison

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There were not many structures on the Island that could house the increasing number of prisoners. It served as a military prison for more than 80 years.

After the army left the Island, only the basement foundation remained. They destroyed most of the structures.

Between 1909 and 1911, the prisoners there were made to build new structures that would be their home for the time on the Island.

Later in 1933, the Department of Justice took management of the island. They turned it into a maximum-security prison.

It became home to some of the most notorious criminals like Al Capone and George ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly.

6. Native American activists occupied the Island

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The Island was occupied by Native American activists for two years. This was after citing the 1868 law that granted them the right to occupy land that was not occupied by the federal government.

In the previous century, several native Americans were jailed on the island while several others were hanged there.

The 400 activists, a group of college students, stormed the abandoned prison protesting the termination of tribal sovereignty and relocation of their tribesmen to other cities.

By the time authorities came in, only 15 activists were on the Island. During their protest, Richard Nixon reversed the policy and ended government seizure of Indian lands.

7. Prison staff lived on the Island with their families

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When the federal government took over the Island, they established a maximum prison.

The prison guards employed moved to the Island with their families. About 300 civilians were living on the Island. They would go to the mainland for grocery shopping.

The island had a bowling alley, a convenience store and the children would swim and fish. 

8. There has never been a successful prison break on the Island

Ever since the prison was established on the island, there have been several attempts by prisoners to break free.

When it served as a military prison, it is alleged that some walked to freedom.

After its status changed to a maximum-security prison, there were no reported cases of successful breakouts.

Some prisoners that attempted to break free were caught. Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin, famously attempted to escape the prison island in 1962 using a raft made out of raincoats. There is no account of what happened to them.

Between 1934 to 1963, 36 inmates attempted to run, 23 were recaptured, 6 killed and 2 drowned.

9. Conditions at the prison were not as bad as portrayed in the media

Being isolated far from the mainland and perched on a rock made the situation on the Island seem dire. The rules at the prison dictated that the inmates were not to speak to each other

But this was not the case according to the reports by some prisoners. The inmates had their own cells and violence was unheard of. The food was also better than in most prisons.

Some prisoners asked to be transferred to Alcatraz Island.

10. The prison was closed because it was expensive

There was no violation of human rights at the prisons, this was therefore no reason why it was shut down.

The cost of running the federal prison was skyrocketing. There was no clean drinking water on the Island and millions of gallons of fresh water had to be ferried each week to the island.

Saltwater was corroding most of the structures making the maintenance costly.