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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.
- 22 acres (8.9 ha)
- San Francisco, California
- 1934; 89 years ago
Alcatraz, originally envisioned as a naval defense fortification, was designated a residence for military offenders in 1861, and it housed a diverse collection of prisoners in its early years. These included 19 Hopi Indians from the Arizona Territory who passively resisted government attempts to assimilate them, and American soldiers fighting ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Mar 3, 2024 · The federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, California. The island had little vegetation and was a seabird habitat when it was explored in 1775 by Lieut. Juan Manuel de Ayala, who named it Isla de los Alcatraces (“Isle of the Pelicans”).
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Nov 24, 2020 · Initially discovered by a Spanish explorer in 1775 (its name literally meant Isle of the Penguins originally), Alcatraz Island was first used by the US military in 1853, when it established a base there, transforming it into Fortress Alcatraz. This heavily fortified structure was completed in 1859.
- Sarah Roller
- 3 min
- 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.
By: Ed Grabianowski. Welcome to Alcatraz. Paul Giamou/Aurora/Getty Images. Surrounded by strong currents and fortified by steel and concrete, Alcatraz federal prison was meant to be the highest-security prison in America, a place no one could escape from. The island on which it rests shuns even plant life.
Park E-Ventures Article. In their own words: History comes alive at Alcatraz Occupation Anniversary. November 20, 1969. That day marked the beginning of the Occupation of Alcatraz by the Indians of All Tribes, a key milestone in the history of the island, our country, and the broader Native American civil rights movement.