Alcatraz Island

Located just over a mile away from downtown San Francisco in the bay, Alcatraz Island (colloquially known as "The Rock"), is home to the former Alcatraz prison. This site was originally home to a United States Military Fort, dating back to the mid-to-late 1800's and formerly had the oldest lighthouse on the West Coast. From there, the island evolved into a U.S. Military Prison, transforming the land into the more familiar place it is today. In 1910, construction began to erect a large concrete prison block to form Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Alcatraz became a small city with many workers living on the island full time. Children were shuttled to the mainland via boat to attend school every morning while their parents worked as prison guards, administrative and support staff. The prison was in operation until March of 1963, when in the prior year the infamous trio of escapees had broken out of the prison and attempted to sail towards Angel Island. To this day, it is unknown if the prisoners succeeded or drowned in the treacherous waters of the bay. A piece of history that seems to be often overlooked is the Indian Occupation of 1969. A large group of Native American's sailed to the island and reclaimed the land as their own and lived on the island for nearly two years before the remaining group was removed by the government. Today, the island is open to everyone as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. I highly recommend visiting through Alcatraz Cruises.