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Alcatraz is sitting in the middle of the beautiful bay like a dark tower from a fairy tale is the notorious former prison known as the Rock. From 1934 to 1963, being here was far from child's play for inmates who were jailed in the federal pen -- among them felons Al Capone and "Machine Gun" Kelly. Alcatraz was famous for making escape impossible, and the Rock housed criminals for whom there was no hope of rehabilitation. Though three inmates escaped from the prison, they were presumed to have drowned in the surrounding bay. |
| Your visit should be vastly more pleasant. Take a tour led by a park ranger or explore the prison with the riveting self-guided audio tour. Intriguing stories of prisoners like the infamous Birdman of Alcatraz compete for your attention with the history of American Indian occupation: After the prison was closed, Indian activists selected the island as a site for protest, as many American Indians were jailed here in violation of their civil rights. The short-term protests led to a long-term occupation -- from 1969 to 1971 -- that raised worldwide political awareness of the American Indian movement. |
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