A FLOATING JAIL

ALCATRAZ ISLAND

Narrator: For quite some time it was aMilitary prison

Then it was a prison

For prisoners who would escape

otherwise

Indians were alsoheld there

Tours

Alcatraz Island offers a close-up look at the site of the first lighthouse and US built fort on the West Coast,

also a natural side to the Rock—gardens, tide pools, bird colonies, and bay views beyond compare.

A brief history

The name Alcatraz is derived from the Spanish "Alcatraces." In 1775, the

Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala was the first to sail into what is now

known as San Francisco Bay -

his expedition mapped the bay and named one of the three islands

Alcatraces. 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."

Military

Alcatraz was reserved for military use under President Millard Fillmore in 1850. Meanwhile, the discovery of gold in the

Sierra Nevada Mountains brought growth and prosperity to San Francisco. The lure

of the Gold Rush demanded the protection of California as gold…

seekers flooded the San Francisco Bay. In response, the U.S. Army built a fortress on the rocky face of Alcatraz. They made plans to install more than 100 cannons, making Alcatraz the most heavily armed

entity on the West Coast.

Prison

Alcatraz was obtained by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 1934. The former

military detention center became America’s first maximum security civilian penitentiary. This “prison system’s prison” was specifically

designed to house the most horrendous prisoners…

the troublemakers that other federal prisons could not successfully detain. Its isolated location made it ideal for the exile of hardened criminals, and a strict daily routine taught inmates to

follow prison rule and regulation.

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And have a wonderful day!!!

Made by Kelly