Alcatraz is listed as a National Historic Landmark. Its name comes from the Spanish word for the gannet, a kind of seabird. The island is also known as "The Rock," and it was featured in a movie of the same name. The island is home to the now abandoned prison, the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States, early military fortifications, and natural features such as rock pools, a seabird colony, and unique views of the coastline.

The island was used a military fort from 1850 to 1933. The United States Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz were acquired by the United States Department of Justice on October 12, 1933. The island became a federal prison on January 1, 1934. During the 29 years it was in use, the jail held such notable criminals as Al Capone who did time for tax evasion. Machine Gun Kelly was locked up in Alcatraz for kidnapping and bank robbery. Robert Franklin Stroud, the "Bird man of Alcatraz" was sent to there for murder. On record, it was Alvin Karpis who served more time at Alcatraz than any other inmate.

Alcatraz became the end of the line for the worst offenders, criminals who attacked guards or those too famous for their own good. Alcatraz was also an experiment in isolation. While the government did consider land in Alaska for a maximum security prison site, the little island in the middle of the cold bay was too perfect and already a military prison, the very definition of isolation with San Francisco's city lights just out of reach.

Some of the punishment methods endured by prisoners at Alcatraz resemble torture: beatings with iron clubs, isolation, sensory deprivation, time spent in windy dungeons, bread and water diets. Life on "The Rock" meant hard labor and terrible conditions. From Alcatraz Prison Rules and Regulations: "You are entitled to food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention. Anything else you get is a privilege." J.A. Johnston, a former warden of Alcatraz once said, "To the men confined there, it is not only the ultimate in isolation but the most ironic because they are there in the midst of the activity of a busy harbor ... all reminding them that life is near but freedom far."

A staff of 90 guards was required to guard the 260 or so prisoners on the island. Many of the guards, about two-thirds of the staff, lived with their families on the island. Apartment buildings and wood frame houses were built. The Warden lived in a large house on the island. The elaborate structure that is the prison consists of 330-odd cells.

The penitentiary was closed for good on March 21, 1963. The prison closed because it was far more expensive to operate than other prisons of the time. It was easier to build a new, traditional land-bound prison than to pay for all the upkeep and support the Alcatraz prison required. After the prison closed in 1963, the island was unoccupied for 10 years, except for a period from 1969 and 1971 when it was taken over by a group of Native Americans as a political protest.

In 1969, a group of Native Americans affiliated with the American Indian Movement attempted to reclaim the land, saying that an 1868 federal treaty allowed Native Americans to use all federal territory that the government was not actively using. After nearly two years of occupation, the government forced them off.

During the prison's lifetime, only thirty-six attempted to escape. Most were recaptured without incident, seven were shot and only one is unaccounted for. Three escapees, Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, disappeared from their cells on June 11, 1962. This attempt, popularized in the motion picture Escape from Alcatraz was among the most intricate ever devised. Though only some evidence was found that they died in their attempt, they are officially listed as "missing and presumed drowned." Plywood paddles and parts of a raft made from raincoats were found on Angel Island by the FBI. It is very likely that they did die in their attempt as, after all these years, no one has surfaced claiming to be or even to have seen the escapees.

Many of the original prison buildings on the island are gone now. Some burned during the American Indian occupation in the late 1960s, and the guard's residences were torn down in the early 1970s because they were deteriorated beyond repair. If you visit the island of Alcatraz today, you will find remnants of the following buildings and structures shown below.

The only permanent inhabitants are the birds and plants. Alcatraz Island is home to one of the largest western gull colonies on the west coast. Even on a busy day, the birds outnumber the humans. When the birds are nesting, some areas are blocked off to protect them. A big colony of birds can also create quite a stink - you may smell it before the boat reaches the dock.