Facts about Alcatraz
A failed escape attempt by six prisoners on May 2, 1946, led to the so-called "Battle of Alcatraz," which lasted until May 4.
In 1867, a brick jailhouse was built (previously inmates had been kept in the basement of the guardhouse), and in 1868 Alcatraz was officially designated a long-term detention facility for military prisoners.
Robert Stroud, who was better known to the public as the "Birdman of Alcatraz," was transferred to Alcatraz in 1942.
When Al Capone arrived on Alcatraz in 1934, prison officials made it clear that he would not be receiving any preferential treatment.
Beginning on November 20, 1969, a group of Native Americans from numerous tribes occupied Alcatraz Island.
The plan doubled the amount of Alcatraz accessible to the public to enable visitors to enjoy its scenery and bird, marine, and animal life, such as the California slender salamander.
On March 21, 1907, Alcatraz was officially designated as the Western U.S. Military Prison.
San Francisco residents complained about the starkness of Alcatraz's prison environment in the midst of San Francisco Bay.
Due to its isolation by the cold, strong, hazardous currents of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz was used to house Civil War prisoners as early as 1861.
After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, civilian prisoners were transferred to Alcatraz for safe confinement.
In 1993, the National Park Service published a plan entitled Alcatraz Development Concept and Environmental Assessment.
Terming San Francisco the "Geneva of the West," they envision the new Alcatraz as an artistic, educational and spiritual mecca which will attract millions of people from all over the world.
Known as "The Rock," it gained fame through the 1962 film "Birdman of Alcatraz" and the 1963 book "Escape From Alcatraz."
Among those incarcerated at Alcatraz in the 1870s were Hopi Native American men who were imprisoned for refusing to relinquish their children, as required, to government-run Indian Boarding schools.
The entirety of Alcatraz Island was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and was further declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
Alcatraz Island became a national recreation area in 1972 and received landmark designations in 1976 and 1986.
Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay is famous for its historical roles as a Civil War fortress, a military prison and a maximum-security federal penitentiary that housed some of America's most notorious criminals.
Alcatraz Island, commonly referred to as simply Alcatraz or locally as The Rock, is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California, United States.
The United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, a new, traditional land-bound prison opened that same year to serve as a replacement for Alcatraz.
Whatever course is taken, Alcatraz will surely continue to attract visitors in the coming years.
James "Whitey" Bulger spent 3 years on Alcatraz (1959-1962) while serving a sentence for bank robbery.
The United States Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz was acquired by the United States Department of Justice on October 12, 1933, and the island became a federal prison in August 1934.
The United States fought a legal battle with Fremont over ownership of Alcatraz, since he had purchased it under the government's name.
At Alcatraz, Kelly was constantly boasting about several robberies and murders that he had never committed.
The first Spaniard to discover the island was Juan Manuel de Ayala in 1775, who charted San Francisco Bay and named the island “La Isla de los Alcatraces,” which translates as “The Island of the Pelicans,” from the archaic Spanish alcatraz, “pelican”, a word which was borrowed originally from Arabic: al-qaṭrās, meaning ...Nov 27, 2009
Alcatraz in American. (ˈælkəˌtræz ; alˈkətrazˌ) small island in San Francisco Bay: site of a federal prison (1934-63) Word origin of 'Alcatraz' after Sp Isla de Alcatraces, Island of Pelicans.
Alcatraz Island (/ˈælkəˌtræz/) is located in San Francisco Bay, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison (1868), and a federal prison from 1934 until 1963.
For 29 years the federal prison system kept high-security prisoners in lockup there. It's called "The Rock" because it's an island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay.
The federal prison on Alcatraz Island in the chilly waters of California's San Francisco Bay housed some of America's most difficult and dangerous felons during its years of operation from 1934 to 1963.
In all, 36 men made a total of 14 escape attempts during Alcatraz's history. Of these, 23 were caught, six were shot and killed during their escape and two drowned. The remaining five (including Morris and the Anglins) went missing and were presumed drowned.Aug 8, 2012
Prison Closure. On March 21, 1963, USP Alcatraz closed after 29 years of operation. It did not close because of the disappearance of Morris and the Anglins (the decision to close the prison was made long before the three disappeared), but because the institution was too expensive to continue operating.
There were eight people murdered by inmates on Alcatraz. Five men committed suicide, and fifteen died from natural illnesses. The Island also boasted it's own morgue but no autopsies were performed there. All deceased inmates were brought back to the mainland and released to the San Francisco County Coroner.
In the 1850s the United States army built a fortress there, to protect San Francisco, but it was never needed and in 1868 it became a military prison. In 1909 most of the original fortress was demolished and a new prison was built, which became known as 'The Rock'. The work was done by the prisoners themselves.Mar 3, 2013