Discovering The Secrets Of Alcatraz In San Francisco
If you are visiting San Francisco, there are so many things to see and do
. However, it would be well worth your time to explore the historical prison island of Alcatraz.
Alcatraz is a thoroughly unpleasant place: cold, windy, dilapidated, and depressing. Of course, this unpleasantness was not lost on the officials who decided to designate the island a prison in 1934.
That, along with the site's isolated, escape-resistant location made it the ideal home for some of the nation's most dangerous and recalcitrant offenders until 1963. As the old saying goes, "familiarity breeds contempt."
And yet, there must be plenty of people in the rest of the world who still haven't seen the movies, heard the stories, and endured one too many visits to the island nicknamed "The Rock," and that such people might still find it interesting. The name Alcatraz is a shortened, anglicized form of the Spanish word for "pelicans."
A Spanish explorer named the island "Isla de los Alcatraces" (Island of the Pelicans) in 1775. The military began building a large fort on the small island in 1853 to help defend the San Francisco Bay against invaders who might be attracted by the recently discovered gold deposits nearby.
It went into operation in 1859. Less than two years later, the U.S. Civil War broke out, and it was considered an important Union defense post against the Confederate army.
Although a military base remained in use on the island until 1933, it was never actually attacked. For much of that time, the island served as a military prison more than as a defensive outpost.
The year after the military left, the Bureau of Prisons began using the island as a maximum-security prison. One of its first inmates was Al Capone.
Another legendary prisoner, Robert Stroud, was known as the Birdman of Alcatraz. Stroud had studied canaries while incarcerated at Leavenworth before being transferred to the prison-and had even published a book on canary physiology and disease.
But during his 17 years in the prison, he was never permitted to study birds-making the nickname a misnomer. Nor was Stroud ever permitted to see the 1963 film Birdman of Alcatraz, for which actor Burt Lancaster won an Oscar.
Several prisoners did escape from the island-sort of. Two who made it off the island were later recaptured, and five others are unaccounted for.
Because the waters of the San Francisco Bay are so cold and the currents so strong near the island, most people assume these prisoners drowned. However, the swim can be done successfully.
In fact, hundreds of people do it every year as part of the annual Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Most of these participants, however, are wearing wetsuits!
During the years between the prison's closure in 1963 and the island's reopening as a national park in 1972, Alcatraz was not entirely uninhabited. For 19 months from 1969 to 1971, up to 100 Native American protesters occupied the island in an attempt to force the government to declare it Indian property.
They planned to establish a university, cultural center, and museum on the island. Although the occupation did not achieve those results, it did have the effect of raising public awareness and prompting the government to give greater recognition and autonomy to Native American tribes.
The sight of a deteriorating former prison facility in the Bay contrasts sharply with the nearby Golden Gate Bridge and scenic Angel Island, not to mention San Francisco's famous skyline. Alcatraz is famous mainly for being famous.
Its harsh, decaying outline now perceived as beautiful by residents of the city where people once complained about having their Bay views marred by a prison. And that is the very most interesting thing about Alcatraz-its mysterious transformation from a place of pain to a place of pride.
If you want to tour the island, you can take a ferry around it, or you can walk on the island yourself, depending on the time of year. It is incredibly interesting, particularly if you do your research beforehand to understand exactly what took place in this cold, dark, historical place.
Check it out today! You may find the place just as haunted and spooky as they say.
by: Terry Daniels
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