Journal
13 June 2017
To Alcatraz Island & Back
Just a mile from mainland San Francisco is Alcatraz Island. Once a lighthouse, it was then built into a prison to house notorious criminals. It was in operation for 29 years between 1934 to 1963 before it closed because it was too expensive to continue operating.
It was quite an eerie experience knowing highly dangerous criminals once served their time on the island. The audio tour was really good as you can learn all about the history of the island along with chilling stories from both the officers and the prisoners.
Seabirds of Alcatraz
Once just a lump of rock, it was a home to thousands of nesting birds and still does today after the prison closed. The island’s name comes from the Spanish alcatraces, which means pelicans.
Attempted escapes
36 prisoner tried to escape Alcatraz . Of those convicts, 23 were captured, six were shot to death and two drowned. The other five went missing and were presumed drowned, including Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin. They chipped away at the concrete cell walls with sharpened tools over years and even made lifelike heads so it appeared they were in their cells over the night. No bodies were ever recovered and there is still a reward for their capture. The guards thought they drowned and the prisoners think they escaped.
Time in the cell
Each cell was around 5 by 9 feet long. Prisoners said they actually liked Alcatraz Island prison as they didn't have to share a cell with anyone and the views overlooking San Francisco gave them hope of a normal life when they were to be realised. There were 336 active cells in the main 2 blocks at the time of operation. The convicts where not necessarily the most violent, but were in need of harder lessons if they did not follow rules, so they could return to other prisons.
