Alcatraz History: Origins, Inmates, Escapes and More
Alcatraz Military Base and Prison
Known as The Rock, in the 1850s, President Millard Fillmore signed an order which turned Alcatraz Island into a military fortress, replete with the West Coast’s first operational lighthouse and over 100 cannons in defense of San Francisco Bay.
During the Civil War—and later the Spanish American War—Alcatraz morphed into a military prison, which saw the incarceration of Confederate sympathizers, prisoners of war and 19 “rebellious” Hopi Indians who were imprisoned following violent land disputes with the federal government.
By 1912, after inmate labor completed the construction of a 600-cell prison complex, the Justice Department took control of the island in 1933, housing convicted criminals deemed too disruptive or dangerous for other U.S. penitentiaries.
Famous Alcatraz Inmates
Over the next three decades, Alcatraz would house some of the most notorious criminals in American history, including Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone, whose prior incarceration in Atlanta, Georgia had allowed the gangster to run his Chicago-based crime empire from behind bars. Other famous inmates included George “Machine Gun” Kelly, gangster Alvin “Creepy Karpis” Karpowicz and murderer Robert Stroud, who became known as the Birdman of Alcatraz.
Alcatraz Escapes
Before the prison’s closure in 1963, 14 known escape attempts had taken place, resulting in two confirmed drownings, five presumed drownings, 23 recaptures and six fatalities due to gunshot wounds.
On May 2nd, 1946, six prisoners overpowered their prison guards, gaining access to weapons that resulted in a two-day running gun battle that took the lives of two correctional officers while wounding 18 others. After the U.S. Marines were called in to restore order, three of the rogue inmates were killed, while three others stood trial for murder.
In 1969, Mohawk activist Richard Oakes claimed Alcatraz on behalf of “Indians of All Tribes,” resulting in a two-year occupation, until their removal by order of President Richard M. Nixon. In 1972, the island became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which sees more than a million visitors each and every year, including hundreds of athletes who participate in the annual Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, proving that with the right training and equipment, a successful escape from The Rock is a survivable reality.