Alcatraz Island: “The Rock” Off The San Francisco Coastline
Alcatraz Island aka “The Rock” can be found just off the California coastline across from San Francisco. It was Spanish explorer, Juan Manuel de Ayala, that originally named the island in 1775 as “La Isla de los Alcatraces” or “Island of the Pelicans”. But the island got its nickname due to the rocky formations and barren land that make up the island and the heavy currents surrounding it.
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Since that time, Alcatraz has held a very unique spot in American history. In the mid 1800s the military determined Alcatraz to be of value as a key strategic location for the military. Within a few years, Army Engineers were constructing what could only be called a fortress. As a result, Alcatraz gained a reputation as a symbol of U.S. military power and force that it held for many decades.
That power eventually faded away. Its weapons became obsolete. Its location was no longer essential to military strategies. It was then that Alcatraz took on a new role, that of an ideal place to hold Civil War prisoners.
In 1934, after the Great Depression and due to rocketing operational costs, the Military opted to close Alcatraz and transfer ownership to the Department of Justice. Following a complete makeover, Alcatraz then served as a Federal prison from 1934-1963.
It was during this time that Alcatraz had its share of infamous inmates including Robert Stroud aka the “Birdman of Alcatraz”, Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly, to name a few. But of the hundreds of inmates, there were only 36 inmates who actually attempted escape while Alcatraz operated as a Federal prison. Officially none of them did “escape”.
Nine years after the prison closed (1972), Alcatraz was turned into a national recreation area. Following which it received landmark designations in both 1976 and 1986. Today it continues to operate under the National Park Service as a historic site and tourist destination for visitors who can come over via ferry from the mainland.
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