Alcatraz Island travel guide

The infamous jail island in the Bay

The Spanish called this rocky island “Isla de los alcatraces” – island of the pelicans since thousands of these birds inhabited the island. The Americans were the first to established a military fortification, which later served as a military prison and finally was turned into the most feared federal prison in the United States. That was in 1934 when the public demanded a “tiger cage” for the worst criminals in the States. Freezing cold water, strong currents, machine gun towers and electronic detectors ensured the desired isolation of the prisoners.
Al Capone was incarcerated on the “Island of the Devil” as well as “Machine Gun Kelly”, “Doc Barker”, “Creepy Karpis” and the “Birdman of Alcatraz”. However, since there were just not enough big underworld celebrities to fill the more than 300 cells, even smaller crooks like car thieves and burglars were imprisoned on the island.
This, the enforcement authorities decided, didn’t make sense since due to the high operational and maintenance cost of Alcatraz, they could as well have booked hotel rooms for the inmates at lower prices.
When three men escaped Alcatraz in 1963, the government decided to close down this expensive dungeon and turned it into a national recreational area.
Today, the island is a historic site supervised by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is open to tours.
The island can be reached by ferry from pier 39 and it’s highly recommended to book your trip well in advance to ensure you get a ticket for your desired departure time.

Alcatraz Island travel guide by is this text outdated?

Latest Reviews for Alcatraz Island

Have you been here? Write a quick review:

 You are currently not logged in. Login or register to write a review.

alainpaulj

Réservation obligatoire au moins une semaine avant au risque de - comme nous - ne pas pouvoir s'y... more

2009-08-20 / follow alainpaulj / report abuse