Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, California. f11photo/Shutterstock
- Alcatraz Island is a National Historic Landmark most famous for its 29-year operation as a prison.
- The small island offshore of San Francisco, California, housed famous criminals including Al Capone.
- Today, tourists can see the former prison’s small cells, dining hall, and warden’s house.
The story of Alcatraz is a fascinating dive into US history.
It was the site of a US military prison from the late 1850s to 1933, and later, between 1969 and 1971, it was occupied by Native American activists.
But Alcatraz Island, which is off the coast of San Francisco, California, is best known for its years operating as a maximum-security federal prison. From 1934 to 1963, it housed criminals, including the infamous gangster Al “Scarface” Capone and murderer Robert “Birdman of Alcatraz” Stroud.
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area was created by Congress in 1972, placing Alcatraz Island under the control of the National Park Service. Today, it is a popular tourist spot, with more than 1 million people visiting the island every year, according to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
Take a look at what it’s like to visit Alcatraz Island.
Prisoners also worked in the laundry, or completed factory work or general maintenance. Wages were deposited into their prison accounts to buy items from the commissary.
The linen area. Claudine Van Massenhove/Shutterstock
Source: National Park Service
