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2 days ago · To understand the significance of the 1962 escape, one must understand the fearsome reputation of Alcatraz. Originally a military prison dating back to the Civil War, the island became a federal penitentiary in 1934. It was designed to house the "worst of the worst" – the most notorious, troublesome inmates from other prisons.[^2]
The remaining inmates was transferred to other federal prisons, and the once-feared island prison fell silent. The closure was met with little fanfare, marking a quiet end to one of the most infamous prisons in American history.
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6 days ago · Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Alcatraz was to be a different kind of prison. ... The men released several other prisoners and what ensued was a bloody, 48-hour standoff between inmates and prison ...
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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.
May 10, 2011 · When we think of the isolated crag that is Alcatraz Island, images of America's worst cons serving one of the harshest possible sentences come to mind. But "The Rock" was a federal prison...
Jun 13, 2018 · Now And Then: Alcatraz Island. To those that only know the Hollywood version, the rich history of Alcatraz is surprising. Civil War fortress, infamous federal prison, bird sanctuary, first lighthouse on the West Coast, and the birthplace of the American Indian Red Power movement are just a few of the fascinating stories of the Rock. Alcatraz ...
May 16, 2022 · Between 1934 and 1963, the country's most dangerous convicts were sent to an island prison in San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary housed the 20th century's most notorious captured ...
