A Peep Into US’ First Supermax Prison – Alcatraz Island

Remember Frank Morris? The convict who had burglary, armed robbery, grand larceny, and escape from a number of prisons, to his name? Remember that movie about his (and a couple of other inmates’) daring escape from Alcatraz? … and the fact that, to this day, nobody knows whether they made it to mainland US or not?

For years, it was a place that several people wanted to get out of. And for years, I’ve been wanting to go see it for myself. 😀

The prison in the popular 1979 movie Escape from Alcatraz can be seen from different parts of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. After years of talking about visiting this historical-prison-on-the-island, a few foiled plans, and almost missing our ferry to it one day, we finally made it to the rock a few weeks back. And I finally got to walk around the one and only Alcatraz Island!

Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz island was once known to be that place where the most notorious criminals were sent. It was considered to be that inescapable prison not just because it was on an island. This island in San Francisco Bay was surrounded by strong currents, dangerous marine creatures, and violent wind. These natural forces were what decided the fate of those who managed to escape the watchful eyes of the prison guards of the highly-secure prison.

‘Break the rules and you go to prison, break the prison rules and you go to Alcatraz’ used to be the maxim of the land, once upon a time. From the mid 1800s to 1963, this prison on an island in the middle of San Francisco Bay, used to be the most dreaded place of all.

A bit of Alcatraz history

A brochure I bought on the island tells me ‘Alcatraz was a prison almost from the very beginning’ of being in possession by the United States. It all started when the basement was first used to lock up 11 soldiers in 1859. During the Civil War, soldiers with charges of theft, murder, and rape were confined here. Members of a confederate ship’s crew, and citizens with charged with treason have also been imprisoned here. Other people that have been inmates here included Native Americans who were caught during the many wars, and convicted military men, in the latter part of the 19th century.

During the early years of the 20th century it went from being a fort to becoming a maximum-security prison. In the years that followed, it became the United States Disciplinary Barracks, Pacific Branch, and later a Federal Penitentiary. As the latter, USP Alcatraz’s cells held some infamous men and also some of those prisoners who were hard to handle in other prisons. So, this prison became that prison that one went to, when he broke prison rules. And for those that broke Alcatraz Prison’s rules, there was D- Block.

Going to D-Block meant complete isolation. An inmates spent all 24 hours in darkness in one of 6 cells that had additional doors that cut off the light from outside. D Block was also called ‘The Hole.’

The tour

When we got to the island, we got a little briefing about ‘the rock’ and then we walked up the hill to tour the place at our own pace. We picked up a couple of brochures along the way and used the audio tour that would guide us through the hallways and rooms of the infamous prison in the middle of San Francisco Bay.

We saw the prison cells, the dining room, the library, the recreation yard and even ‘the hole’ before we left the building and walked around it to see the gardens, some ruins, and some great views from the island.

Here are a few sights —

Some interesting facts from the prison’s history

— US’s first ‘super-max prison,’ during its Federal Penitentiary days, is said to have processed 1576 inmates, housed around 90 correctional officers, and 4 wardens.
— There were 14 escape attempts by 36 prisoners. Some were caught, some shot, a few drowned and there’s no proof that the rest even made it to land.
— This place of punishment was closed down in 1963 because maintaining and operating it became a very expensive affair.

Things to know before you visit ‘the Rock’

• You’re going to have to take a ferry to get to the island. For tickets — Alcatraz City Cruises
• Make sure to book much in advance if you’re planning to visit during peak travel seasons
• Dress up in layers; it’s going be cold on the ferry and even on the island
• Make sure to look up parking facilities on Embarcadero before you drive into the city and try to get there early so if you run into parking problems, you’ll still be on time for the ferry.
• Allot yourself 2-3 hours for the ferry ride and tour. And when you done with the tour and walking around Alcatraz island, you should be able to take the next ferry out.

Have you been to Alcatraz Island? Is it on your travel wishlist?
Or is it just not your kind of place to visit?

You might also want to check out these —
Tours you’re sure to enjoy
More from the San Francisco Area

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My Corner of the World