Explore what remains of the most famous prison in America.
Located in the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz Island played host to America’s most famous prison. Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary houses some of the United States’ most infamous prisoners, such as Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the “Birdman of Alcatraz”), George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Arthur R. “Doc” Kelly.
Alcatraz Island is located 1.5 mi offshore making it hard to escape from here.
Fair warning, I Guess.
A visit to San Francisco wouldn’t be complete without visiting this famous island prison, which is now a National Park Service site. To reach Alcatraz, you need to take a ferry from Pier 38 near downtown San Francisco. The ferry not only gives you great views of the island, but also San Francisco as well.
The view of Downtown San Francisco probably would have been better if it wasn’t so cloudy and in true San Francisco tradition, it was sunny by afternoon.
Now we are getting closer to the island. The prison is on top of the hill. The large building on the left was housing for the guards and their families, but originally a barracks for military personnel.
Alcatraz Island started as a military outpost in 1853, which had some cells for military prisoners, like POWs from the Civil War and some Hopi tribesmen from the Four Corners area of the Southwest. In 1868, Alcatraz was officially designated as a long-term detention facility for military prisoners, and so begins the island’s time as a prison.
This guard house is the oldest building on the island and served to protect the island during the Civil War. The original jail cells were in the basement of this building.
In 1934, the military prison was turned into a federal prison. This new federal penitentiary was designed to hold prisoners who caused trouble at other Federal prisons.
Heading into the prison.
First stop on the tour was the commissary, where the prisoners would get their prison garb and other things.
Next to the commissary is the creepiest shower room I have ever seen. Eeek!
The prison cells were only 9 ft (2.7m) by 5 ft (1.5m) and contained a bed, a desk with chair, and a washbasin with toilet. No privacy was allowed.
Old fashioned metal bar doors were the norm here.
The cell blocks had three floors of cells and three rows each of cells. The cells with view of the few windows available were the most desirable.
They decorated some of the cells as exhibits to showcase different prisoners. Other were decorated to show what could be found in a cell. This one is dedicated to George Heck, who was an artist that actually sold a couple of pieces while still a prisoner here.
The biggest draw were the cells used during the most successful escape attempt here at Alcatraz. On June 11, 1962, three inmates, Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin, escaped through holes they chiseled away from around a vent (the concrete was damaged, so not as hard as it sounds) with things they found lying around. They escaped from their cells into a utility corridor and made it up to the roof, used a homemade raft and took off, never to be seen again. They hid their disappearance by using papier-mache heads that they placed on their pillows.
Recreation of one of the escapee’s cells, complete with fake head and hole in the wall.
D-Block houses the worse inmates. Al Capone even spent some time here to isolate him from other inmates. He wasn’t doing too well with the syphilis by this time.
Within D-Block are five solitary confinement cells nicknamed “the hole”, used for punishment. Those would be one with the heavy doors. Barely any light came through.
D-Block’s cells were larger but more barren.
Alcatraz Island also had housing for families and staff and some other buildings as well.
This was the electric shop for the prison, located near the gatehouse.
This was the community center for the island staff and families. It caught fire during the Native American occupation, which I will discuss later.
This was the power plant. Fuel had to be shipped over here from the mainland, along with every drop of water the island needed.
This was the model industries building. Prisoners would work in here making things as a reward for good behavior.
We were allowed to go into the New Industries building. It was fun to explore.
Due to rising costs and crumbling infrastructure due to salt water, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was closed for business in 1963. However, the island wasn’t empty for long. On March 8, 1964, the first Native American activists occupied the island protesting federal policies towards Native Americans. The famous group, Native Americans of All Tribes, came on November 20, 1969, and stayed for nearly two years. During the occupation, several buildings were damaged or destroyed by fire. The United States government also pulled down some dilapidated buildings after the occupiers left. These buildings were mostly apartment buildings used by staff.
The graffiti dates from the time of the occupation. The NPS supports keeping the graffiti in place because it is part of the history of the island. I agree.
The graffiti on the water tower was covered up, so the NPS invited members of the occupiers and their families to repaint this message.
The remains of one of the Art Deco inspired apartment buildings torn down before the NPS took over the site.
The remains of the Warden’s House next to the prison.
Alcatraz, today, is one of San Francisco’s major tourist attractions and rightfully so. The audio tour is fantastic, full of history and first-hand accounts from both prison staff and prisoners. The island is also fun to explore. However, since it is so busy, if you are planning to visit book your tour ahead of time. I joined the “early bird” tour and got an early start to the day, leaving more time to explore the rest of San Francisco.
Check out my next update where I explore the City by the Bay!
