We checked the weather a few days ago and today looked sunny and warm so we ordered our tickets for Alcatraz on line. Of course, just because the prediction says warm and sunny, doesn’t mean that it necessarily will be. However, we lucked out and had beautiful weather all day. We drove into town and parked in our favorite parking garage (the one that didn’t charge us yesterday - we thought we owed them one.)
Everyone knows about the prison which was here from 1934 to 1963 but the island had a long histoy as a lighthouse and a defense and a military prison long before this. It was first documented by the Spanish who called it La Isla de los Alcatraces which translates into Island of the Pelicans since they noticed these when they sailed by. Ironically, the pelican is not known to nest on ths island today.
From 1846 until 1850 it was in private hands but in 1850 the US decided that it would be a good fortress and ‘bought’ it for $0 from the owner. From 1853 to 1858, the army fortified it but these fortifications were soon rendered obsolete by armament advances. However, its isolation and position in the middle of a cold, current-filled bay made it perfect for a military prison and soon it became a long-term detention for military prisoners.
Deactivated in 1933 as a military prison, it was transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 1933. Again, because of its isolation, it was designed to hold prisoners who caused trouble in other prisons or who were particularly notorious. Here were housed such well-known prisoners as Al Capone, ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly, and Robert ‘Birdman’ Stroud and Al ‘Creepy’ Karpis who served more time here than any other inmate. Here is a hallway in the prison with three tiers of cells. Note how each tier overhung the tier below - probably to discourage conversation.
Here are some facts and fictions about Alcatraz:
It was the only federal prison at that time to have hot water for inmate showers - a luxury designed to discourage escape attempts into the cold waters of the Bay. The showers didn’t offer much privacy tho.
There were no executions on Alcatraz though there were 5 suicides and 8 murders.
The Birdman of Alcatraz was not allowed to have birds here. He did have canaries in Leavenworth and was called the ‘Bird Doctor of Leavenworth’.
There were no successful escape attempts from the island though it was not for lack of trying. A total of 36 men made 14 escape attempts. 23 were caught, 6 were shot and killed during their attempt, and 3 men did escape but they were never found and it is presumed they died in the Bay.
The cells were 5’ x 9' wide enough for men to extend their arms and touch both sides. The cells had a small sink with cold running water, a small cot, a toilet and some shelves. D Block cells, solitary, were larger but no one wanted to live there since they were confined 24 hours a day except for one visit, alone, to the exercise yard per week. Here’s a regular cell.
There were no female guards or prisoners ever on the island
Inmates did have good things to say about Alcatraz:
having your own cell increased privacy and decreased sexual problems
the food was thought to be the best in the prison system
On the other hand, most prisoners said that it was usually cold and damp. Upper tier cells were a bit warmer and thus more popular. The most popular cells were the warmer upper cells with a view of the mainland.’
Prisoners were allowed 1 visit per month. There was no physical contact and all coversation was through a window. They could not talk about the prison.
The librarian of the prison library said of the prisoners: ‘these men read more serious literature than does the ordinary person in the community. Philosphers usch as Kant, Schopenhauer, Hegel, etc., are especially popular. Literate convicts read 75 - 100 books per year.
Here’s a picture of the exercise yard and some of the activities the prisoners engaged in. Some became addicted to bridge.
Life was terribly monotonous. ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly wrote: You asked yourself, how can a man of even ordinary intelligence put up with this kind of life at Alcatraz? What is this life of mine like? To begin with, these five words seem written in fire on the walls of my cell - NOTHING CAN BE WORTH THIS. No one knows what it is to suffer from the intellectual apathy, the pernicious mental scurvy, that comes of long privation of all that makes life real.’
Here’s what they mean when the talk about the ‘Rock.’ This is one of the rock cliffs of the island.
One thing you usually don’t hear about is the families of the guards. There were apartments for the families and the guards had children and wives and lived on the island. They a school boat into SF for school and the second picture is of kids on the boat - don’t they look just like kids on a school bus?
They remember their time on the island as a time of fun and, obviously had no contact with the prisoners.
We left about 3:00 with one last look back at the island.
Back in San Francisco, we walked down to Stockton Street in Chinatown which we hear is the real Chinatown where the tourists rarely go and were amazed at all we saw. We saw lots of poultry shops with both cooked and raw birds hanging in the open windows. I could not even guess what kinds of birds some of these were. In one open window was a pan with cooked chicken feet. There were lots of produce shops with greens that I could only guess at, other shops with lots of other ‘Chinese’ foods - there was one shelf with about 30 different types of ginseng. We had a great time exploring.
And, did we find some stairways? Come on, this is a Nancy and Gary story. Of course we did. Here was the last one we took for the day which led right to our parking garage. It actually curls back up on the right and goes up several more levels.
And, sure enough, the pay machine worked this time, we paid and drove back to our RV.
10.3 982’
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