What does Alcatraz mean in English?

Over time, the name was Anglicized to Alcatraz. 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.

Why did they shut down Alcatraz?

The prison officially closed down because it was too expensive to maintain. It would have required about $3 million to $5 million for further maintenance and restoration work to keep it open. This was not even taking into account the operating costs that were required daily.

What was Alcatraz originally built for?

Begun in 1849, the fortress was originally intended to guard against foreign invasion of San Francisco which had boomed during the gold rush. Alcatraz also played an important role in the Civil War, protecting San Francisco from Confederate raiders.

Why is Alcatraz so famous?

In its heyday, it was the ultimate maximum security prison. Located on a lonely island in the middle of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz—aka “The Rock”—had held captives since the Civil War. But it was in 1934, the highpoint of a major war on crime, that Alcatraz was re-fortified into the world's most secure prison.

What is Alcatraz nickname?

A rocky island north of San Francisco, California, Alcatraz was once the site of a notorious maximum-security prison. The island occupies an area of 22 acres (9 hectares) and is located 1.5 miles (2 kilometers) offshore in San Francisco Bay. Both the island and the prison are known by the nickname “The Rock.”

Alcatraz - A Brief History

How did Alcatraz get its name?

Juan Manuel de Ayala was a Spanish explorer who is said to have been the first to sail into the San Francisco Bay. He named the three islands he discovered in the bay “Alcatraces” – later anglicized to Alcatraz. The name means pelican or strange bird.

What was the native name of Alcatraz?

The first Europeans to visit the island were the Spanish in 1769, who named it “Isla de Los Alcatraces,” or “Island of the Pelicans,” for its large pelican colony. Later the name was shortened to Alcatraz.

Who was prisoner 1 on Alcatraz?

Frank Lucas Bolt. Little has been documented about Alcatraz's LGBTQ+ prisoners, but gay men did play a role in the infamous prison. In fact, it was a queer man, Frank Lucas Bolt, who served as the prison's first official inmate.

Who escaped Alcatraz alive?

The three men in question are convicted bank robber Frank Morris, John Anglin and his brother Clarence Anglin. On June 11, 1962, the trio successfully escaped the maximum security prison after posing fake heads in their beds that were pushed through holes of a concrete wall.

What was the silent rule in Alcatraz?

1. Prisoners must remain silent during rest periods, after lights out, during meals and whenever they are outside the prison yards. 2. Prisoners must eat at meal times, and only at meal times.

Who owns Alcatraz now?

Alcatraz under the National Park Service

In 1972, the National Park Service purchased Alcatraz along with Fort Mason from the U.S. Army to establish the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

How deep is the water around Alcatraz?

The bay is actually only as deep as a swimming pool.

Heck, between Hayward and San Mateo to San Jose it averages 12 to 36 inches. So much for that bridge! With that said though, the water surrounding Alcatraz is on the deeper end of the scale, but still, it's just an average depth of 43 feet.

Where did Alcatraz prisoners go when it closed?

In late August of 1962, the rumors of Alcatraz closing were confirmed when transfer orders for prisoners started flowing in with the first official chain of six inmates was set for permanent departure to USP Leavenworth on September 10, 1962.

Why couldn't you swim out of Alcatraz?

It was also created to be escape-proof. Due to the security of the prison facility itself, the distance from shore, cold water, and strong currents, few dared to attempt to escape.

How many prisoners died in Alcatraz?

There were eight people murdered by inmates on Alcatraz. Five men committed suicide, and fifteen died from natural illnesses. The Island also boasted it's own morgue but no autopsies were performed there. All deceased inmates were brought back to the mainland and released to the San Francisco County Coroner.

Does anyone live on Alcatraz Island?

Inmates were not the only people who lived on Alcatraz. Prison staff members, including the warden and other top administrators, correctional officers, medical providers, and clerks, resided with their families on the island. They lived in government-owned apartments, cottages, and houses.

Did Al Capone go to Alcatraz?

Public Enemy #1 was transferred to the now-infamous island prison a few weeks after it opened. To Americans of the 1920s and '30s, he was the notorious gangster Scarface Al, Public Enemy No. 1. But when he arrived at Alcatraz in late August of 1934, Alphonse “Al” Capone took on a more humbling name: Prisoner 85.

Are any Alcatraz inmates still alive?

Bill Baker is part of that living history. He was Alcatraz prisoner number 1259. He is now 89 years old and one of the last surviving former inmates of Alcatraz. "When I was 18 I stole a car in Oregon.

What happened to the 4 that escaped Alcatraz?

In 1979 the FBI officially concluded, on the basis of circumstantial evidence and a preponderance of expert opinion, that the men drowned in the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay without reaching the mainland.

Who was the worst inmate in Alcatraz?

Robert Stroud AKA The Birdman of Alcatraz

After carefully studying their habits, he even wrote two books on canaries and their diseases and his observations would benefit research on canaries for years to come. He was one of the most violent inmates to ever stay in Alcatraz and spent a lot of his time in segregation.

Who was the most violent prisoner in Alcatraz?

Alvin Karpis

Legend says he was captured by FBI director J. Edgar Hoover himself and sentenced to life imprisonment on Alcatraz for ten murders, six kidnappings and a robbery.

Who was the famous killer at Alcatraz?

Perhaps the most famous of all Alcatraz inmates is Robert Stroud, often remembered for his portrayal in the 1962 movie "Birdman of Alcatraz". He was convicted of murder in 1909 after shooting a man at point-blank range. The victim was reportedly a client of a prostitute Stroud was pimping and had refused to pay her.

What is a fun fact about Alcatraz?

Before the infamous prison, the island was home to the West Coast's first lighthouse. A part of the Alcatraz construction in 1854 was the building of its famous lighthouse. Alcatraz Island was home to the first lighthouse on the West Coast.

What happened to the 3 guys who escaped from Alcatraz?

Alcatraz officials have suggested they drowned or died of hypothermia. Read more Alcatraz stories here. But now, more than 50 years later, the Anglin family has provided evidence that the men might have survived.

How did Alcatraz get electricity?

The island is completely cut off from the mainland with no access to outside power lines. As a result, the National Park Service ferried up to 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel a week to Alcatraz to power its electric generators. This led to high operational costs and introduced a pollution risk to the bay.