Alcatraz
I've been fascinated with the island of Alcatraz and the former prison that sits on it as long as I can remember. As a kid it seemed like the most foreboding place in the world, sitting in the middle of San Francisco Bay with a reputation as the world's most secure prison from which no man had ever escaped and lived to tell the tale. As I got older and did some reading about the federal prison that operated there in the 20th century, I found out that some of the legends associated with the place where just that, legends. Other tales that should be more widely know are just footnotes.
One of the most famous inmates housed to be housed there, Robert Stroud, known as the Birdman of Alcatraz, never actually kept any of his famous canaries on the rock. All of his ornithological work was done while he was locked up in Leavenworth.
Al Capone, one of the first inmates admitted to the prison after it opened, spent his time at Alcatraz staying out of trouble, subscribing to 87 newspapers and magazines and becoming a founding member of the prison band.
How Al Capone Spent His Time in Alcatraz | HISTORY
The most famous events during the prison's time as an active penitentiary were the so-called Battle of Alcatraz and the escape of the Anglin brothers and Frank Morris.
The Battle Of Alcatraz, 1946: What Happened? How Many Died? Did They Escape? | HistoryExtra
The Alcatraz Escape of the Anglin Brothers and Frank Morris — FBI
The last inmates left Alcatraz in 1963. In 1969 members of the American Indian Movement occupied the Island and stayed there for 14 months making a political statement and drawing attention to their cause.
Rising: The American Indian Movement and the Third Space of Sovereignty | Occupation of Alcatraz (November 1969 – June 1971) (wm.edu)
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