Alcatraz Island is a place filled with mystery and intrigue. Its long history involves some of the country's most hardened criminals who were housed in the federal penitentiary that no longer functions there. Nicknamed "The Rock," Alcatraz prison held infamous gangsters. The island remains an attractive tourist spot.
Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay, 1 1/2 miles offshore from San Francisco, California. It is 22 acres and rises 121 feet above sea level. The island can still be reached by boat. Organizations offer tours that take customers to and from the island. San Francisco isn't a warm place and the island is no different. It exhibits a variance of weather conditions that can change by the hour. In general, summers tend to be cool and foggy and winters are cool and rainy. But clear, warm days happen on occasion throughout season.
Alcatraz Island was once a mountain that existed in a vast savannah. In 13,000 B.C., it was home to exotic animals such as the short-faced bear, American cheetah, camel and ground sloth. Glaciers melted and the savannah became San Francisco Bay. Eventually, the island dried out and by 20th century, it was a barren, windswept rock occupied only by swarming birds above.
Spanish explorers arrived in 1769 and took possession of the island, but despite popular rumors, they never housed any dungeons there. In 1846, John C. Fremont bought the island for $5,000. In 1848, the United States government sued for ownership and won it. In 1854, a military fortress was erected as well as the West Coast's first lighthouse. The purpose of the fort was to defend the western territories. After a 1906 earthquake, prisoners were temporarily held on the island until jails on the mainland could be restored.
It wasn't until 1934 that the famous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary held its first prisoners. The prison functioned until 1963. Because of the structure of the building and its location, Alcatraz was said to be inescapable, and therefore the worst criminals were sent there. Al "Scarface" Capone was one of Alcatraz's first prisoners. There were 14 escape attempts by 36 prisoners but no one was successful. In 1962, a well-publicized attempt prompted the attorney general to shut the prison down in 1963.
The American Indian Foundation submitted several proposals under the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie for legal control of the island, before a group of 75 Indians took the island in 1969. After fires destroyed historic buildings, federal marshals removed the Indians occupying the island in 1971.
Alcatraz remains under the care of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which took responsibility for its upkeep in 1973. The island has more than 1.4 million visitors per year, most of whom pay for a tour of the prison. In 2003, work began to restore historic gardens that were began in the 19th century. More than 100 bird species live on the island, including the peregrine falcon, which is endangered.
