Alcatraz Island can be found in California’s San Francisco Bay, and it is the location of the federal prison that is known to have once housed some of America’s most wanted from the days it was in operation from 1934 to 1963. Nicknamed “the Rock,” today the island is a popular tourist destination, after having been the site of a U.S. military prison from the 1850’s to 1933. The island first got its name in 1775 from Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala who named the island due to the large amount of pelicans and sea birds residing on the island. The original name was La Isla de los Alcatraces, or Island of the Pelicans. However, it was not until 1850 that President Millard Fillmore signed the order that reserved the area for United States military use.

The army began holding military prisoners on the island in the 1850’s due to the island’s isolated location from the mainland. It seemed the ideal location for a prison, due to the idea that no inmate would be able to brave the waters trying to escape and live. Some of the prisoners during this time included citizens accused of treason during the Civil War and American Indians who the government deemed uncooperative. The U.S. Justice Department gained control of the prison from the army in 1933, turning it into a federal prison for dangerous inmates, inmates too dangerous or difficult for normal penitentiaries. Security was improved to create a maximum security facility, which opened on July 1, 1934.

James A. Johnston was the first warden at the new federal prison, and hired one guard for every three prisoners, each with their own cell. At the prison, prisoners lived in sparse conditions with limited privileges. This was the organization to teach the inmates how to “follow the rules,” before having them return to other federal prisons around the country for the remainder of their sentence. There were always between 260 to 275 prisoners at one time housed in the prison. Some of the more famous inhabitants included Al Capone, who spent four-and-a-half years there, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, who spent 17 years there, and gangster Alvin “Creepy Karpis” Karpowicz, who spent over 25 years in Alcatraz. Karpowicz is listed as the one prisoner who spent the most time there.

One of the more famous facts about Alcatraz is about the escape attempts that were made. There were a total of 14 known attempts to escape, involving 36 inmates. It was reported that of those 36 escapees, 23 were captured, six were shot and killed, two drowned, and five went missing and were later presumed drowned. No inmate ever managed to escape from the prison. However, the most famous escape attempt ended up causing a battle when six prisoners overpowered the officers, gaining access to weapons, but not keys to leave the prison. Alcatraz was shut down in 1963 due to the large operating cost of the facility and the fact that many of the buildings were beginning to crumble due to exposure to the sea air.  The island became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972 and was opened to the public one year later.