Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, California served as a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, holding some of the most notorious criminals in American history within what was then considered the most escape-proof correctional facility in the United States. The island's isolation — surrounded by the cold, fast-moving waters of San Francisco Bay — combined with its strict disciplinary regime and purpose-built cell blocks made it the federal system's ultimate destination for prisoners who could not be controlled in other institutions. Notable inmates included Al Capone, serving time for tax evasion; George Machine Gun Kelly; and Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz, who conducted his ornithological research at Leavenworth before his transfer to Alcatraz in 1942.

The island has a longer history than its 29 years as a federal penitentiary. The U.S. Army established a fort and military prison beginning in the 1850s, and the lighthouse built in 1854 was the first on the Pacific coast. The military prison held Confederate sympathizers during the Civil War and resistance fighters from the Philippines before the Department of Justice converted it to a civilian federal penitentiary during Prohibition. In 1963, escalating operating costs — supplies, water, and staff had to be ferried to the island — led Attorney General Robert Kennedy to order the facility closed.

From 1969 to 1971, a coalition of Native American activists occupied the island under the auspices of the Indians of All Tribes movement, claiming it under the terms of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. The occupation drew national attention to indigenous land rights and remains a landmark event in the American Native American rights movement. The National Park Service incorporated Alcatraz into Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972.

Alcatraz Cruises operates ferry service from Pier 33 on the Embarcadero. The award-winning Cellhouse Audio Tour, narrated by former Alcatraz inmates and guards including interviews recorded before many participants died, guides visitors through the main cellblock, kitchen, recreation yard, and D Block isolation cells. The first-person narration creates a visceral understanding of daily prison life and the famous 1962 escape attempt by Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers that has never been conclusively solved.