Alcatraz At The 1800's
In 1850 Alcatraz was declared a military reservation by President Millard Fillmore, and by 1859, troops were permanently staying at the posts on Alcatraz for the defense of the Bay Area.
Army construction started on Alcatraz in 1853. smashing at the rock and laying brick and stone, workers created steep walls around the island. Behind the walls, the army placed cannons at the north, south, and west sides to shoot at enemy ships. When everything was finished, the army had constructed places for 111 cannons that were all around the island. At the north and south, there were towers sticking out from the island between gun batteries that held smaller guns to protect the sides of the island.
"The Rock"
Alcatraz Island is located in the icy waters of California’s San Francisco Bay there were some of America’s most dangerous criminals during its years as a a prison from 1934 to 1963. Among those who spend time at the super safe facility were the notorious gangster Al “Scarface” Capone (1899-1947) and murderer Robert “Birdman of Alcatraz” Stroud (1890-1963). No inmate ever "successfully escaped The Rock", as the prison was nicknamed, although more than a dozen known attempts were made over the years.
Alcatraz Now-a-Days
After the prison was shut down due to high operating costs on Thursday, March 21, 1963, the island was occupied for almost two years, starting in 1969, by a group of Native-American activists. Today, historic Alcatraz Island is a touristic attraction and became a national park.
For visiting Alcatraz browse in: http://www.nps.gov/alca/planyourvisit/index.htm
Alcatraz-A brief story
here's a video to show Alcatraz's desing "the greate escape" |
"Alcatraz battle"On May of 1946, the most violent escape in the history of the Alcatraz Penitentiary took place.
A bank robber from Kentucky named Bernard Paul Coy, who had a 26 year sentence on Alcatraz, attempted a plan to escape from Alcatraz with 5 accomplices to help him. on May 2, 1946, helped by inmate Joseph Cretzer, Coy started to climb towards the western gun gallery until he reached the top In his teeth he was carrying a small cloth bag containing a crudely fashioned bar-spreader device that he used to break in the gun gallery. When he entered there, he hid to avoid the officer on duty to see him, while the accomplices attacked the guard. After that, Coy handed carefully the fire arms to the inmates who were helping him, and started searching for the keys for the recreation yard. When they were fully armed, they captured 9 un-armed guards, including officer Miller, who had to give the convicts all the keys, but he hid the most critical one, the recreation yard key. After assaulting other guards, they knew their plan had failed, because the sirens and alarms of Alcatraz had already been activated, even though, Cretzer and Coy and other inmates stood firm for a battle, while other inmates, returned to their cells. At the end of an 46 hour-battle, 14 guards and one convict were injured while 2 correctional officers and 2 inmates lay dead. |
There's even a movie about the escape of Alcatraz! Search on Netflix for; "Escape From Alcatraz".