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Before the Prison
The name Alcatraz is derived from the Spanish \"Alcatraces.\" In 1775, the Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala was the first to sail into what is now known as San Francisco Bay - he named one of the three islands Alcatraces; over time, the name was Alcatraz. While the exact meaning is still discussed, Alcatraz is usually defined as meaning \"pelican\" or \"strange bird.\"
In 1850, the island was used for a United States military reservation. The California Gold Rush, the resulting boom in the growth of San Francisco, and the need to protect San Francisco Bay led the U.S. Army to build a Citadel, or fortress, at the top of the island in the early 1850\'s. The Army also made plans to install more than 100 cannons on the island, making Alcatraz the most heavily fortified military site on the West Coast. Together with Fort Point and Lime Point, Alcatraz formed a \"triangle of defence\" designed to protect the entrance to the bay.
By the late 1850\'s, the first military prisoners were being housed on the island. The defensive necessity of Alcatraz became unimportant (the island never fired its guns in battle) and in 1909, the Army tore down the Citadel, leaving it as the basis for the foundation of a new military prison. From 1909 through 1911, the military prisoners on Alcatraz built the new prison, which became a federal prison in 1933. The prison was considered escape-proof because of its fortress like structure and the strong, cold currents in the surrounding waters.
It was this prison building that later became famous as \"The Rock.\"
\"The Rock\"
The U.S. Army used the island for more than 80 years--from 1850 until 1933, when the island was transferred to the U.S. Department of Justice for use by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Federal Government had decided to open a maximum-security, minimum-privilege penitentiary to deal with the most incorrigible inmates in Federal prisons, and to show the public that the Federal Government was serious about stopping crime of the 1920\'s and 1930\'s. But USP Alcatraz was not the \"America\'s Devil\'s Island\" that many books and movies describe. The average population was only about 260-275. Many prisoners actually claimed the living conditions (for instance, always one man to a cell) at Alcatraz to be better than in other Federal prisons, and several inmates actually wanted to be transferred to Alcatraz.
Prison Life
While several well-known criminals, such as Al Capone (mafia boss of Chicago), George \"Machine-Gun\" Kelly, Alvin Karpis and Arthur \"Doc\" Barker did time on Alcatraz, most of the 1,576 prisoners there were not well-known gangsters, but prisoners who refused to conform to the rules and regulations at other Federal institutions, who were considered violent and dangerous, or who were considered escape risks. If a man did not behave well at another institution, he could be sent to Alcatraz, where every inmate was taught to follow rules and regulations. At Alcatraz, a prisoner had four rights: food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. Everything else was a privilege that had to be earned. Some privileges that a prisoner could earn included working, corresponding with and having visits from family members, access to the prison library, and activities such as painting and music. If prison officials claimed that a man was able to follow the rules, he could then be transferred back to another Federal prison to finish his sentence and be released.
Escape Attempts
Over the 29 years (1934-1963) that the Federal prison operated, 36 men (including two who tried to escape twice) were involved in 14 separate escape attempts. Twenty-three were caught, six were shot and killed during their escape, and two drowned. Two of the men who were caught were later executed in the gas chamber at the California State Prison at San Quentin for their role in the death of an officer during the famous May 2-4, 1946, \"Battle of Alcatraz\" escape attempt.
Whether or not anyone succeeded in escaping from Alcatraz depends on the definition of \"successful escape.\" Is it getting out of the cell house, reaching the water, making it to the land, or reaching land and not getting caught? Officially, no one ever succeeded in escaping from Alcatraz, although to this day there are five prisoners listed as \"missing\".
Alcatraz Closes
On March 21, 1963, USP Alcatraz closed because the institution was too expensive. An estimated $3-5 million was needed just for restoration to keep the prison open. That did not include daily operating costs - Alcatraz was nearly three times more expensive to operate than any other Federal prison. The major expense was caused by the physical isolation of the island - the exact reason islands have been used as prisons throughout history. This isolation meant that everything (food, supplies, water, fuel...) had to be brought to Alcatraz by boat. The Federal Government found that it was more cost-effective to build a new institution than to keep Alcatraz open.
After the prison closed many ideas were proposed for the island, including a monument to the United Nations, a West Coast version of the Statue of Liberty, and a shopping centre/hotel complex. In 1969, the island again made news when a group of Native American Indians claimed Alcatraz as Indian land with the hope of creating a Native American cultural centre and education complex on the island. Initially, public support for the Native Americans\' cause was strong, and thousands of people (general public, schoolchildren, celebrities, hippies, Vietnam war protesters, Hells Angels...) came to the island over the next 18 months. Unfortunately, the small Native American leadership group could not control the situation and much was destroyed (graffiti, vandalism, and a fire that destroyed the lighthouse keeper\'s home, the Warden\'s home, and the Officer\'s Club). In June 1971, Federal Marshals removed the remaining Native Americans from the island.
In 1973 the island was opened to the public as a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It has become one of the most popular Park Service sites - more than one million visitors from around the world visit the island each year.
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