Alcatraz: We Tell You Its History And Its Present
Alcatraz, who has not heard that name? An island on which a famous prison was built from which it was impossible to escape. But do you already know the whole story and what has become of it today? Well, we will tell you. Do not miss it!
What is Alcatraz
Alcatraz, also known as The Rock, is a small island that is located in the San Francisco Bay, in California. In it is the Alcatraz lighthouse and in ancient times it was used as a military fortification, military prison and later federal.
Already in 1972 it became a national park and in 1976 it received the designation of a National Historic Landmark. There is no population on the island and in its beginnings it was a fortification belonging to Spain from where the entry and exit of San Francisco was controlled.
History
Its lighthouse is still in operation and is one of the oldest on the west coast of the United States. In 1846, the governor of Alta California, then Mexican, ceded the rights to the island to Julian Workman, on the condition that he build a lighthouse on it.
He later passed the property on to his son-in-law, Francis Temple. John C. Frémont would buy it from him for $5,000 on behalf of the United States, which would later seize it from him after a lengthy legal battle.
When the United States acquired California and the Gold Rush broke out, it was questioned whether Alcatraz Island would be suitable for placing coastal batteries and thus protecting the San Francisco Bay.
In 1853 the island began to be fortified, a task that culminated 5 years later. During the United States Civil War there were 200 soldiers and 85 guns on the island. The fire never needed to be opened, but the island was used to imprison Confederate prisoners.
Alcatraz and its prison
The island became a federal prison in August 1934 and was used for three decades. Famous figures of the stature of Al Capone himself passed through their cells. Robert Franklin, Bumpy Johnson, James Whitey Bulger and Alvin Karpis, were also “illustrious” prisoners, the latter being the one who spent the longest time in this prison.
It is said that in 29 years of operation no prisoner was able to escape successfully, despite the fact that at least 36 prisoners are known to have made 14 attempts to do so. The most dramatic episode took place on May 2, 1946, when some prisoners who were trying to flee failed in their attempt and the well-known “Battle of Alcatraz” took place, with several agents and dead inmates.
The great escape
However, in 1962, Frank Morris and Clarence Anglin were successful on the run. They made a hole in the wall taking advantage of the humidity that reached a corridor almost a meter wide that was not guarded. They did it with a spoon!
The path led them through a ventilation shaft from which they removed the fan and motor, replacing it with a steel grill, thus allowing a hole large enough to pass through.
With raincoats they made improvised rafts and left some paper mache dolls on their beds. Quite an inventiveness that amazingly worked out for them! If you want to know in more detail how it happened, the movie The Escape from Alcatraz will take you to the key moment.
Alcatraz prison closes
On March 21, 1963, and by order of President Kennedy, the prison was closed. The reason that was argued was that the cost of holding prisoners there tripled compared to other prisons. In addition, it already needed to be rebuilt as the salt had eroded the buildings and there were security risks that could have cost many millions of dollars.
Today it is just a historical site in which to enjoy the Golden Gate National Park with unique views from the place. Do you dare to visit this gloomy place that has a thousand and one stories to tell you? It will undoubtedly be a unique and unrepeatable experience. Do not think about it!
