Alcatraz Island

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Alcatraz Island ( ) is located in San Francisco Bay, 1.25 miles (2.01 km) offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The small island was developed with facilities for lighthouses, military forts, military prisons (1828), and federal prisons from 1934 to 1963. In early November 1969, the island was occupied for over 19 months by a group of Native Americans from San Francisco, from a wave of Native activism across the country, with public protests during the 1970s. In 1972, Alcatraz became part of the national recreation area and accepted the appointment as National Historic Landmark in 1986.

Today, island facilities are managed by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area; it is open for tours. Visitors can reach the island in less than 15 minutes by ferry ride from Pier 33, located between San Francisco Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco. Hornblower Cruises and Events, operating under the name Alcatraz Cruises, is the official ferry provider to and from the island.

Alcatraz Island is home to an abandoned prison, where the oldest lighthouse operates on the West Coast of the United States, an early military fort, and natural features such as coral ponds and sea bird colonies (western gulls, parrots and herons). According to a 1971 documentary about the history of Alcatraz, the island measures 1,675 feet (511 m) by 590 feet (180 m) and 135 ft (41 m) at its highest point at high tide. However, the total area of ​​the island is reported to be 22 acres (8.9 ha).

Landmarks on the island include Main Cellhouse, Dining Hall, Library, Lighthouse, Warden's House Ruins and Officers' Club, Parade Grounds, Building 64, Water Tower, New Industrial Building, Industrial Model Building, and Recreation Page.

Video Alcatraz Island

History Edit

The first Spanish man to document the island was Juan Manuel Diaz, who charted the San Francisco Bay and named one of three islands he identified as "La Isla de los Alcatraces," translated as "Pelican Island", from the ancient Spanish language > alcatraz ("pelican"). Over the years, the Spanish version of "Alcatraz" became popular and is now widely used. In August 1827, the French Captain Auguste Bernard Duhaut-Cilly wrote "... ran past the island of Alcatraze (Pelikan)... covered with countless birds." The rifles were fired upon the feathered legions causing them to fly greatly clouds and with a stormy sound. "The California brown pelican ( Pelecanus occidentalis californicus ) is not known to be nesting on the island today. The Spaniards built several small buildings on the island and other small structures.

Military Garrison Edit

The earliest owner on the island of Alcatraz was Julian Workman, to whom was given by the Governor of Mexico Pio Pico in June 1846, with the understanding that the Workman would build a lighthouse on it. Julian Workman is the name of the baptism of William Workman, co-owner of Rancho La Puente and personal friend Pio Pico. Then in 1846, acting in his capacity as California Military Governor, John C. Frà © Ã… © mont, champion Manifest Destiny and leader of the Bear Flag Republic, bought the island for $ 5,000 on behalf of the United States government from Francis Temple. In 1850, President Millard Fillmore ordered that Alcatraz Island be set aside as a US military reservation, for military purposes based on the US acquisition of California from Mexico after the Mexican-American War. FrÃÆ'  © mont has predicted great compensation for his initiative in buying and securing Alcatraz Island for the US government, but the US government subsequently canceled the sale and paid nothing FrÃÆ'Ã… © mont. FrÃÆ' © and his heirs demanded compensation during a prolonged but unsuccessful legal battle that extended into the 1890s.

After the California acquisition by the United States as a result of the Guadalupe Hidalgo Agreement (1848) ending the Mexican-American War, and the beginning of the California Gold Rush the following year, the US Army began studying the suitability of Alcatraz Island to position the beach batteries to protect the approach to San Bay Francisco. In 1853, under the direction of Zealous B. Tower, the United States Army Engineer Corps began to strengthen the island, a work that continued until 1858, which took place in Alcatraz Castle. The island's first garrison at Camp Alcatraz, numbering about 200 soldiers and 11 guns, arrived at the end of the year.

When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the island mounted 85 cannons (rising to 105 cannons in 1866) in coffins around it, although the small size of the garrison meant only a fraction of the weapons could be used at one time. At this time also serves as San Francisco Arsenal for the storage of firearms to prevent them falling into the hands of Confederate sympathizers. Alcatraz, built as a "heavily guarded military site on the West Coast", forms a "defense triangle" along with Fort Point and Lime Point, and ensures security to the bay. The island is also the location of the first operational lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States. Alcatraz never fired its weapons offensively, though during the war it was used to imprison sympathizers and privateer Confederates on the west coast.

Military prison

Due to its external isolation by the cold, strong, and dangerous water currents in the waters of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz was used for the Civil War (POW) prison as early as 1861.

After the war in 1866, the army defended the defense and the weapons were quickly deemed obsolete by military technological advances. Modernization efforts, including ambitious plans to equate the entire island and build bullet-proof magazines and underground tunnels, were conducted between 1870 and 1876 but were never finished (the so-called "marches" on the southern tip of the island symbolize its breadth). of the smoothing effort). Instead, the army shifted the focus of its plans to Alcatraz from coastal defense to detention, a task that fits perfectly with its alienation. In 1867, a brick prisoner was built (prisoners previously housed in a guardhouse basement), and in 1868, Alcatraz was officially designated as a long-term detention facility for military prisoners. The facility was subsequently discontinued for POWs in 1946. Among those imprisoned in Alcatraz were Confederates who were caught on the West Coast, and some Native American Hopi in the 1870s.

In 1898, the Spanish-American War increased the prison population from 26 to over 450, and from 1905 to 1907 it was ordered by US Army General George W. McIver. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, civilian detainees were transferred to Alcatraz for safe confinement. On 21 March 1907, Alcatraz was officially designated as the US West Military Prison, then Pacific Branch, Barrack of US Discipline, 1915. In 1909 the construction began on a large concrete stem cell block, designed by Major Reuben Turner, who remained dominant on the island. features. It was completed in 1912. To accommodate the new cell block, the Citadel, a three-story barrack, was destroyed to the first floor, which is actually below ground level. The building was built in a dug hole (creating a dry "trench") to increase its defensive potential. The first floor is then inserted as a crypt to a new cell block, giving rise to the popular legend "basement" beneath the main cell block. The fort was deactivated as a military prison in October 1933 and transferred to the Bureau of Prisons.

During World War I, the prison detained opponents of conscience, including Philip Grosser, who wrote a pamphlet titled Uncle Sam's Devil Island of his experience.

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary Edit

The United States Barak Disciplinary in Alcatraz was acquired by the US Department of Justice on October 12, 1933, and the island became a federal prison in August 1934. Alcatraz was designed to hold detainees constantly causing trouble in other federal prisons. At 9:40 pm on August 11, 1934, the first group of 137 prisoners arrived in Alcatraz, arriving by train from the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas in Santa Venetia, California, before being escorted to Alcatraz, shackled by high-security coaches. and guarded by about 60 special FBI agents, US Marshall and railway security officers. Most of the prisoners are the most notorious bank robbers and assassins. The prison initially has 155 staff, including first warden James A. Johnston and assistant warden J. E. Shuttleworth, both of whom are considered "iron men". The staff is very well trained in security, but not rehabilitation.

For 29 years it was used, the prison detained some of the most famous criminals in American history, such as Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud ("Birdman of Alcatraz"), George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Bumpy Johnson, Rafael Cancel Miranda (member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party which attacked the United States Capitol building in 1954), Mickey Cohen, Arthur R. "Doc" Barker, and Alvin "Creepy" Karpis (which served more time in Alcatraz than any other inmate)). It also provides housing for Prison Bureau staff and their families.

During the 29 years of operation, prisons claimed that no escaped prisoners had escaped. A total of 36 prisoners made 14 attempts to escape, two men tried twice; 23 were captured alive, six were shot and killed during their escape, two drowned, and five listed as "lost and allegedly drowned". The most violent occurred on May 2, 1946, when a failed escape attempt by six prisoners led to the Alcatraz Battle.

On June 11, 1962, Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin performed one of the most complicated escapes ever made.

Maps Alcatraz Island

The post-prison years Edit

Since the prison costs more to operate than other prisons (nearly $ 10 per day, compared to $ 3 per detainee per day in Atlanta), and half a century of salt water saturation has severely eroded the building, then Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy ordered correctional closed on 21 March 1963. In addition, residents increasingly protested the environmental impact of waste disposal to San Francisco Bay from about 250 inmates and 60 families of Bureau of Prisons on the island. That year, the United States Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, on the ground, was opened as a substitute facility for Alcatraz.

Native American Occupation Edit

Alcatraz Island was occupied by Native American activists for the first time on March 8, 1964. This event was reported by, among others, the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner.

Beginning on November 20, 1969, a group of Native Americans called on the American Indians, mostly students from San Francisco, to occupy the island to protest against federal policies related to American Indians. Some of them are children from India who have moved in the city as part of the Indian Bureau of Indian Affairs' termination policy (BIA), which is a series of laws and policies aimed at the assimilation of Native Americans into mainstream American society, in particular with encouraging Indians to stay away from Indian reservations and to the cities. A number of Indian Affairs Bureau employees also occupied Alcatraz at the time, including Doris Purdy, an amateur photographer, who later produced a recording of his visit on the island.

The invaders, who lived on the island for almost two years, demanded that the island's facilities be adapted and new structures built for Indian education centers, ecological centers and cultural centers. American Indians claimed the island under the terms of the Fort Laramie Treaty (1868) between the US and Sioux; they said the treaty promised to return all federal land that is subdued, abandoned or unused to the indigenous population it acquires. The Indians of All Tribes later claimed Alcatraz Island by the "Right of Invention", because the indigenous peoples knew it thousands of years before Europeans came to North America. Started by urban Indians in San Francisco, the occupation attracts other Native Americans from across the country, including American Indian Minneapolis (AIM) urban activist.

Native Americans are demanding reparations for many agreements broken by the US government and for land taken from so many tribes. In discussing Right of Invention, historian Troy R. Johnson stated in the Alcatraz Island Occupation that indigenous peoples knew about Alcatraz at least 10,000 years before Europeans knew about the North American part.

For nineteen months and nine days of occupation by American Indians, some buildings in Alcatraz were damaged or destroyed by fire, including a recreation room, a Coast Guard keeper and a jailer's house. The origin of the fire was disputed. The US government destroyed a number of other buildings (mostly apartments) after the occupation had ended. Graffiti from the period of Indigenous American occupation is still visible in many locations on the island.

During the occupation, President Richard Nixon overturned an Indian termination policy, drafted by the previous administration to end federal tribal recognition and their special relationship with the US government. He established a new policy of self-determination, as part of the publicity and consciousness created by the occupation. The occupation ended on June 11, 1971.

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Landmarks Edit

The entire Alcatraz Island was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and subsequently declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986. In 1993, the National Park Service published a plan entitled Alcatraz Concept Development and Environmental Assessment. This plan, approved in 1980, doubled the amount of Alcatraz accessible to the public to allow visitors to enjoy the scenery and birds, the sea, and animal life.

• Baker Beach
• Boat Dock
• Build 64
• Fortress
• Dining Hall
• Former Military Chapel (Place of Bachelor)
• Helipad
• Library
• Lighthouse
• Main Parent House
• Industrial Model Creation
• Morgue
• New Industrial Development
• Officers Club
• Grounds Parade
• Power House
• Recreation Page
• Wardens House
• Water Tower

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Development Edit

Today, Native American groups, such as the International Indian Treaty Council, hold a ceremony on the island, the most famous, their "Sunrise Meeting" every Columbus Day and Thanksgiving Day.

The Global Peace Foundation proposes to undermine the prison and build a peace center in its place. Over the previous year, supporters gathered 10,350 signatures that placed him on the president's main ballot in San Francisco for February 5, 2008. The proposed plan is estimated at $ 1 billion. In order for the plan to pass, Congress must release Alcatraz from the National Park Service. Critics of the plan say that Alcatraz is too rich in history to be destroyed. On February 6, 2008, the proposition of the Global Peace Center of Alcatraz Island failed to escape, with 72% of voters rejecting the proposition.

The coastal environment in the San Francisco Bay Area has caused damage and corrosion of building materials throughout Alcatraz. Beginning in 2011, the National Park Service began a major renovation on the island, including the installation of solar panels on cell roofs, slope stabilization near the Warden's House and the stabilization and rehabilitation of outdoor cell walls.

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Art Edit

Recently, Alcatraz has been home to several art installations. The famous Chinese artist/dissident Ai Weiwei held an exhibition exploring the "question of human rights and freedom of expression" called @Large. The 2014 exhibition includes Lego portraits of famous political prisoners. By 2016, Nelson Saiers used mathematics and prison slang as a central element in a six-month installation that discussed irrational long prison terms.

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Fauna and flora Edit

Habitat Edit

• Cistern. A bluff that, due to its moist gap, is believed to be an important place for slimmer California salamanders.
• Cliffs at the north end of the island. Containing both manufacturing and plaza buildings, this area is listed as an important place for nesting and crowing.
• Power plant area. The steep dike where the original meadows and wild rye propagate supports the habitat for deer mice.
• High tides. A series of them, created by old excavation activities, contain unidentified invertebrate species and seaweeds. They form one of several pool-tide complexes in the bay, according to the report.
• Western cliffs and cliff tops. Climbing to a height of nearly 100 feet (30 m), they provide nesting and nesting grounds for seabirds including guillemots of pigeons, cormorant birds, gulls of Heermann, and western gulls. Port seals can sometimes be seen on a small beach at the base.
• Parade place. Carved from the hillside during the late 19th century and covered with debris since the government destroyed the guard housing in 1971, the area has become a habitat and breeding ground for black cranes, western gulls, lean salamanders and deer mice. li>
• The Agave Path, a trace named for agave solid growth. Located on the top of the coastline on the south side, it provides a nesting habitat for the stork of the night.
• Alcatraz prison and its surroundings.

Flora Edit

The family-grown gardens from the original Army post, and then by the guards' family, fell into waiver after the jail closure in 1963. After 40 years they were restored by paid staff members and many volunteers, thanks to funding by the Conservation Park and Golden Gate Conservancy National Park. Uncontrolled gardens have become very dense and have developed into nesting habitats and shelters for many birds. Now, bird habitat areas are being preserved and protected, while many parks are restored to their original state.

In cleaning up the overgrowth, workers find that many native plants grow where they are planted - some more than 100 years ago. Many of the heirlooms of hybrid roses, including the Welsh roses (Bardou Job) believed to be extinct, have been discovered and distributed. Many species of roses, succulents, and geraniums grow among apple trees and fig trees, sweet peas banks, well-groomed cut flower gardens, and very dense grasses with blackberries and honeysuckle.

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In popular culture Edit

Alcatraz Island often appears in popular media and culture, including movies from 1962: The Book of Eli (2010), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Catch Me If You Can (2002), The Rock (1996), First Homicide (1995) , Escape from Alcatraz (1979), The Enforcer (1976), Point Blank (1967) , Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) and the JJ Abrams 2012 television series Alcatraz .

It's also displayed in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime, in the book Al Capone Does My Shirts , in the Pro Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 video game as a playable level, and in the video game > Call of Duty: Black Ops II in the downloadable zombie survival map titled "Mob of the Dead". It is also featured as a racetrack that can be played in the arcade racing video game 1996 San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing . Alcatraz is also often described as a safe haven or base of operations in many post-apocalyptic films, such as The Book of Eli .

Alcatraz is featured in the episode "Bird Mummy of Alcatraz" in the children's program, Mummies Alive! and also featured in the missions in the Watch i Dogs 2 video game. Alcatraz is also featured as a downloadable map in the video game The Escapists. Alcatraz will also be featured in the upcoming video game Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII's zombie map "Blood of Death".

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Gallery Edit

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See also Edit

• Asinara
• ChÃÆ' Â ¢ teau d'If
• The Devil's Island
• List of California islands
• Robben Island
• Mobile Prison

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References Edit

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Further reading Edit

• Erwin N. Thompson. "The Rock: A history of Alcatraz Island, 1847-1972" (PDF) . National Park Service . Department of the Interior of the United States.
• The Rock (1915). "A Brief History of Alcatraz Island (continuing in some issues)". The Rock . Improvement Fund, United States Pacific Branch Discipline Barrack, Alcatraz, California. 1 (January): 3.

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External links Edit

• Official website
• AlcatrazHistory.com: Alcatraz history website - home page
• Alldocumentaries.org: Alcatraz History documentary film
• American Satan Island Holds the Heaviest Prisoner - Popular Science (February 1935).
• Federal Bureau Prisons.gov: "A Brief History of Alcatraz"
• California State Military Museum.org: The Post on Alcatraz Island
• 2012 KDRTradio.org: Interview with ex-Alcatraz prisoner Robert Luke
• Report on the Alcatraz 1962 - event (from the FBI electronic reading room FOIA) .
• Mapicurious.com: Alcatraz Map - with marker image .
• Alcatraz: Prison like Disneyland. Chris Hedges (December 2014).
• Alcatraz Island, Part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, National Park Service at Google Cultural Institute

Source of the article : Wikipedia