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Alcatraz, built as a "heavily fortified military site on the West Coast", was to form a "triangle of defense" with Fort Point and Lime Point, but the contemplated work on Lime Point was never built. The first operational lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States was also built on Alcatraz.
- 22 acres (8.9 ha)
- San Francisco, California
- 1934; 89 years ago
May 10, 2024 · Sold in 1849 to the U.S. government, Alcatraz was the site of the first lighthouse (1854) on the coast of California. Thereafter other buildings were erected on the island, and the first permanent army detachment was garrisoned there in 1859. In 1861 the island was designated a residence for military offenders.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
In 1907 the island was designated the Pacific Branch of the United States Military Prison, and the modern prison building was completed four years later.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Nov 30, 2022 · However Alcatraz became a primary fort almost immediately, when there were major obstacles to building a fort on the north side of the Golden Gate. San Francisco's first defenses, eleven cannons, were mounted on Alcatraz in 1854. By the early 1860's Alcatraz had 111 cannons.
The United States took the island in the Mexican-American War of 1848 and by 1859, after extensive construction and fortification, Alcatraz was the most powerful military fortress west of the Mississippi. It also became home to the west coast's first light house.
Aug 12, 2019 · The first functional lighthouse on the West Coast was built on Alcatraz Island as well. Once fully equipped with weaponry in 1859, the island was deemed Fort Alcatraz. Having never fired its own weapons in combat, Fort Alcatraz quickly evolved from an island of defense to an island of detention.
In 1853, construction began on Fortress Alcatraz, which was built atop the sandstone island, and Fort Point, a traditional casemate fort built at water level after massive excavation of the bluff. Alcatraz was completed first and became the most powerful of all Pacific Coast defenses. (map of SF Bay)
