1963: Alcatraz's Decomissioning

       On March 21st, 1963, Alcatraz Prison in the San Francisco Bay shut down for good. The last numbers of prisoners were transferred, while the 12 acre island lay bare. Although during the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement, McCarthyism, and the inauguration of JFK were mainly the prominent focus of Americans and society. But, I have always believed that the history of Alcatraz is an integral part to both the history of the Bay Area, and interesting in terms of learning more about the judicial and prison systems of the United States. Indeed, its history after its decommissioning is even more incredible- as it was occupied by Native Americans from San Francisco who were "part of a wave of Native activism across the nation, with public protests through the 1970s".
    The history of Alcatraz Island itself begins in 1775, when Juan Manuel de Ayala discovered the islands. Due to the large population of pelicans, the island was then named "Isla de los Alcatraces"- or Island of the Pelicans. Used as a Civil War fort, and then consequently a military prison in 1907, it was notorious for being virtually "inescapable". The "cold, strong, hazardous currents of the waters of San Francisco Bay" made Alcatraz isolated and a perfect spot for prisoners, starting with POWs during the Civil War. This included Confederates who had come to the west, and even Hopi Native Americans. While inmates, before 1867, inmates had been living in the guardhouse basement, but that year the first brick jailhouse was created. As time progressed, and America revolutionized both economically and socially, the island also changed. It was in August of 1934 that Alcatraz was labeled as a federal prison, when the US Department of Justice took over the island. Its geography was altered to make more efficient buildings, and the influx of prisoners began to trickle in. On the morning of August 11, 1934, the very first group of prisoners came to Alcatraz. They came to Alcatraz guarded by around 60 FBI agents. Mainly murderers and bank robbers, they would be closely guarded by 155 members of staff- who were trained in high security but but rehabilitation. Some of the kids and families of the staff actually lived on the island!

Who were some of the inmates?
1) Al Capone:

2) Robert Franklin Stroud: "The Birdman":

3) George "Machine Gun" Kelly:

4) Alvin "Creepy" Karpis:


Were there any escape attempts?
The Anglin Brothers and Frank Morris:
     Six months before their planned escape, Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin, and John Anglin began to formulate their plan. They used items like broken vacuum cleaner motors, spoons, and other stolen items to drill holes around the air vents in their rooms. After they made the holes, they were able to meet in an empty corridor. Here, they used over 5o raincoats to make a raft in order to escape. They used hot steam and stitching. They used leftover food materials and cloth to place dummies into their beds to trick the prison guards. The state prison was in operation for 29 years. During that time, 36 attempted to escape. "23 were caught alive, size were shot and killed during their escape, two drowned, and 5 are listed" as being presumably dead through drowning.
     Unfortunately, Alcatraz had to close due to the high price of maintaining the jail. It cost around $3 for each prisoner every day in an Atlanta, Georgia, prison, but around $10 at Alcatraz. Its location on the sea also caused erosion by salt water, and many started protesting the release of sewage in the Bay as well. Thus, in 1963 all inmates were transferred to Illinois and the federal penitentiary was shut down. There was also a 19 month Native American occupation of the island. In November of 1969, a mainly college student group, the "United Indians of All Tribes" occupied the island in the name of protecting "federal policies related to American Indians". Many of the students were the descendants of Native Americans who had to relocated into the city through the "Bureau of Indian Affairs'" policies that sought to assimilate Natives into American society. Individuals demanded that the island would have an Indian education center and cultural opportunities. Some even claimed that the Treaty of Fort Laramie "promised to return all retired, returned, or out of use federal lands to the Native peoples from whom it was acquired". During this period of 19 months, several buildings were damaged and graffitied as well. Nixon, during the indian occupation created a new policy of self determination.








http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/alcatraz-closes-its-doors
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Island#Military_prison
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/01/24/a-man-claims-three-alcatraz-prisoners-barely-survived-a-1962-escape-and-that-hes-one-of-them/?utm_term=.311094f47a7f