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May 6, 1946: San Francisco Police and Coast Guard patrol boats circling Alcatraz Island in response to call from Warden James Johnston as rioting breaks out. [39] 1946: the San Francisco Police Officers Association established.
Aug 30, 2023 · For more in-depth historical information about Alcatraz, download the NPS Historic Resource Study titled: "The Rock: A History of Alcatraz Island (1847-1972)." To learn about Alcatraz's historic buildings and cultural landscapes, visit GGNRA's Cultural Resource Publication page.
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Situated in the chilly waters of San Francisco Bay, the small but infamous Alcatraz Island has a long and captivating history. Best known for the nearly three decades it served as a federal penitentiary housing some of America‘s most notorious lawbreakers, "The Rock" as it was known actually had a much longer tenure as a military prison and fortification dating back to the 1850s.
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- Early Years as a Military Prison. In 1775, Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala (1745-97) mapped and named rugged Alcatraz Island, christening it La Isla de los Alcatraces, or Island of the Pelicans, due to its large population of sea birds.
- Doing Time as a Federal Prison: 1934-63. In 1933, the Army relinquished Alcatraz to the U.S. Justice Department, which wanted a federal prison that could house a criminal population too difficult or dangerous to be handled by other U.S. penitentiaries.
- Famous Inmates. Among those who did time at The Rock was the notorious Prohibition-era gangster Al “Scarface” Capone, who spent four-and-a-half years there during the 1930s.
- Escape Attempts from Alcatraz. Over the years, there were 14 known attempts to escape from Alcatraz, involving 36 inmates. The Federal Bureau of Prisons reports that of these would-be escapees, 23 were captured, six were shot and killed during their attempted getaways, two drowned and five went missing and were presumed drowned.
Alcatraz Island (/ ˈ æ l k ə ˌ t r æ z /) is a small island 1.25 miles (2.01 km) offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse , a military fortification, and a military prison.
Island of Incarceration, Island of Freedom. Alcatraz reveals stories of American incarceration, justice, and our common humanity. This small island was once a fort, a military prison, and a maximum security federal penitentiary.
European Colonization. In 1775, Juan Manuel de Ayala, a Spanish Naval officer who was chartering the California coast, entered the San Francisco Bay. He named the island La Isla de las Alcatraces because it was covered in large pelicans, which he mistakenly took for Northern gannets (alcatrace in Spanish).
