Alcatraz Prison

#Alcatraz_Prison_The_Rock

When visiting my favorite city of San Francisco you cannot help but look out into the bay and see Alcatraz (Spanish for Pelican; named by explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala who discovered the "Rock" in 1775) Its been used for many things from a lighthouse during the California gold rush (1849) with the increase in shipping traffic. A fort during the American Civil War (1861) to protect the city from Confederate Raiders. A prison for soldiers convicted of desertion, theft, assault, rape plus murder, also the army used Alcatraz as a place of incarceration for Hopi, Apache and Modoc Indians captured during the many Indian Wars. But it was in 1934 when it opened up as a Federal Penitentiary is what most people know it as. It was a place where most of the 1545 inmates where considered "problems" in other prisons (from many escapes or troublemakers) To quote rule #5 "You are entitled to food, clothing, shelter and medical attention; anything else you get is a "privilege" so as you walk the grounds you can sense that it was a place that would defeat your soul. In 1963 because of increased costs plus maintenance, the prison was closed and is now a National Park for all to take in this piece of iconic American history . So don't be disappointed as you need to book early, especially the spooky night tours either on-line or if in the city you can go to Pier 33 near Fisherman's Wharf. 

 A) The Alcatraz lighthouse was the first on the Pacific Coast and has been in operation since 1854, with the light being automated in 1963

 B) After the great earthquake of 1906, 176 prisoners from San Francisco jails were temporarily housed on the island

C) Al Capones cell is unknown, mostly because part of his 4.5 years were spent in a hospital isolation ward.  But the famous gangster did have time to play banjo in the prison band 😀

D) Robert Stroud (Birdman of Alcatraz) had canaries at Leavenworth Penitentiary, but never had any birds at Alcatraz

 E) There were no executions on the Rock,  just 5 suicides plus 8 murders

 F) Prisoners remained on Alcatraz on average 8-10 years 

G) Deer Mouse is the only land mammal on the Rock 

H) The sharks that swim around the island are sand sharks and not "man-eaters"

 KeyTip; to really enjoy the history experience, take advantage of the audio tours that is provided in all languages with individual headsets

As you can read the sign, the Native Indians were treated horribly in the past

So in 1969 a group occupied the island in protest of the US Government policy of terminating the tribal sovereignty

Finally after nineteen months on Alcatraz by the demonstrators, President Nixon reversed and ended the seizure of the Indian lands

 

Island Prison
Throughout history (because of the isolation) it was the thought process of using islands
 to incarcerate people.
But generally it costs three times as much to maintain those facilities with everything that has to be shipped from the water, fuel, food and staff
Plus add in the erosion from nature, so constant expensive repairs

Others Turned into Tourist Sites
A) Robben Island South Africa; famously housed Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners
B) Ile Sainte-Marguerite France; with the famous prisoner "Man in the Iron Mask" now has a shipwreck museum, has ancient Roman artifacts plus an aquarium
C) Spike Island Ireland: was a monastery and military/civilian prison, finally closing in 2004
D) Asinara Italy; once housed Mafia inmates now is a nature reserve
E) Islas Marias Mexico;  closed as a penal colony in 2019 and now a biosphere park

The gardens were initially planted by the military families starting in the 1860s, which were maintained by both officers plus prisoners that turned the "Rock" into a green space
Because of the harsh conditions here, it led to the development of a tough, resilient plants
 that still thrive today

Exercise Yard
The dirt was paved over in 1936 and because of its small size, a section of the wall behind first base was padded to prevent injuries
Inmates were allowed up to five hours on weekends but if they misbehaved that "privilege" was
taken away

D Block
The six cells at the end of this row served as solitary confinement with the prisoners
subjected to cruel conditions

The Hole;
 The inmates were kept naked in total darkness, the holding cell had a sink plus toilet which the guards controlled the flushing
Sometimes were only fed bread and water, plus made to stand for nine hours with their hands tied above their heads

Rufe McCain
After an escape attempt he was confined to The Hole for over three years
After his release, he stabbed another inmate to death but got an acquittal based on the grounds that the holding area had "irreparably damaged his psyche"

The cells were small (as you can see..1.5 x 2.7 meters or 5 x 9 feet) with a cot, sink and toilet
Even though your "cellmate" was close, no one was allowed to speak to each other
except mealtimes and recreation breaks
Later this was deemed to be too harsh and was revoked

Hot Showers as a Security Measure
Not because the prison was kind, the idea was the inmates would get accustomed to the warm water so would be less likely to survive a swim through the cold waters of San Francisco Bay

Good Food
The jail was known for having the best food within the Federal Prison System
This had a purpose, as authorities believed if well fed
 resulted in less trouble

Some prisoners actually had jobs in the kitchen, laundry room or tending the docks
which they earned between 5-12 cents per hour

Rules
A) Inmates were allowed one visit per month which had to be approved by the Warden
B) No physically contact was allowed
C) Conversations were monitored by a correctional officer via an intercom system and with the topics
of prison life or current events, strictly forbidden 

Escapes
Between 1934 - 1963 there were fourteen separate attempts to get off the Rock
Of the 36 men who tried, it resulted in their capture or others drowning in the bay

1962
The brothers John and Clarence Anglin plus Frank Morris
Well planned out, from the deception of the dummy heads, to using the vents to get onto the roof. then the homemade raft from the 50 stolen raincoats to cross the bay
Open Case
US Marshals Service continues to search for any information on the three men

The Civil War barracks on the island became the housing for the three hundred civilians
 whom some worked here
 The community included a bowling alley, soda fountain shop and a small convenience store

Daily Life
Families did most of their shopping on the mainland
 They would use the prison boat twelve scheduled runs each day, even the children took the ferry
 to attend school in San Francisco
But the kids were told never to discuss where their father worked, due to the potential of a kidnapping 

Odd Facts

A) Alvin "Creepy Karpis" Karpowicz; he served the longest time here (25 years) and had to be transferred to another prison when Alcatraz closed
He was eventually deported to his native Cuba
B) Seagulls; nine species of this bird family call the island home with the last count being
 5000 residents, so watch your step as you visit
 As the odds are pretty good you might walk into some poop 😅