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Oct 27, 2009 · Robert Alexander/Getty Images. The federal prison on Alcatraz Island in the chilly waters of California’s San Francisco Bay housed some of America’s most difficult and dangerous felons during ...
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United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, also known simply as Alcatraz ( English: / ˈælkəˌtræz /, Spanish: [ a l k a ˈ t ɾ a s] "the gannet ") or The Rock, was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States. The site of a fort since the 1850s, the ...
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- August 11, 1934; 89 years ago
- March 21, 1963; 60 years ago
Alcatraz, former maximum-security prison located on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, off the coast of California. 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.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
While the exact meaning is still debated, Alcatraz is usually defined as meaning "pelican" or "strange bird." In 1850, a presidential order set aside the island for possible use as 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 ...
Aug 12, 2019 · After the devastating San Francisco earthquake of 1906, inmates from nearby prisons were transferred to the infallible Alcatraz. Over the next five years, prisoners built a new jail, designated "Pacific Branch, U.S. Military Prison, Alcatraz Island." Popularly known as "The Rock," Alcatraz served as an army disciplinary barracks until 1933.
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In 1907, Alcatraz was officially designated as the Western U.S. Military Prison. The old fort was demolished, and a massive new cellhouse was constructed. Then, in the early 1930s, the nation saw a period of increasing crime and lawlessness. This was due to Prohibition, which had given rise to organized crime.
