Fri 28 Jul - San Francisco - London

Up, breakfast, pack and then back to the pier to join about 200 other people on the short 1.5 mile ferry trip to Alcatraz.  

I googled to find out a bit more about the small, rocky island that was home to such famous prisoners as Al Capone....

The Founding Of Alcatraz Island

• Juan Manuel de Ayala was the first man to sail into San Francisco Bay and lay eyes upon what is now Alcatraz Island.
• When the Spanish explorer mapped the bay in 1775, he named the tiny island Alcatraces. At this time, this word meant ‘Gannet’ in relation to the North Atlantic seabird.
• But over time, the original name Alcatraces was anglicized to Alcatraz.

Use As A Military Fort

• Following the Gold Rush and booming of San Francisco in the 1850’s, the US military built a fortress at the top of Alcatraz to protect the bay from naval invasion.
• On June 1st, 1854, the Alcatraz Light became the first lighthouse built on the West Coast of America. By the late 1850’s, Alcatraz had received its first military prisoners.
• No shots were ever fired from the enormous cannon at Alcatraz fortress and its requirements as a defensive installation become obsolete.
• The US army demolished Alcatraz fortress in 1909 and military prisoners at the time built what would become ‘the Rock.’

Punishment To Fit The Crime

• Following rampant crime in the 1920’s and 1930’s, Alcatraz was the perfect symbol for the Department of Justice to show its citizens they were taking crime seriously.
• The prison was categorized as maximum security as well as minimum privilege and opened in 1933.
• Alcatraz would be the new home for those who were incapable of reform or who had gained culture repute.

(Credit)

Our tour included an audio guided trip through the main prison block with narration from both the prisoner and guard perspectives.  It was stark and cold and the cells small and basic.  

Despite the maximum security there were 36 men involved in 14 separate escape attempts. Of these 23 were caught, 6 were shot and killed, 2 drowned and 5 listed as missing, presumed drowned.

After the tour it was back to the airport where I re-discovered the joys of Cointreau and Grapefruit juice before boarding the plane at 8:50pm for dinner and a snooze. 😀