Alcatraz

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Alcatraz


For thousands of years, Alcatraz was nothing but a piece of sand, habited by pelicans. That was until a Spanish explorer found the island and gave it the name “La isla de los alcatraces”-the pelican island. In the very beginning, Alcatraz was used for military purposes. Since the island is in the middle of the bay outside San Francisco, it is considered to be the perfect position for protection against military attacks from other countries. In 1907, the fortress on the island served as a military prison where convicted soldiers served time with hard work. Later, in 1933, the military prison was rebuild and high technological safety systems were installed. The military force moved out and “unimprovable” criminals moved in. Alcatraz was now a federal prison. The confined men had ultimate isolation, but very close to life since they could all smell the sweetness from the chocolate factories and hear the automobiles crossing the bridges. In other words: very close to life but still far away from freedom.

Several famous crooks have served time in Alcatraz, such as Al Capone and “The Angilin Brothers”.
Although it is almost impossible to escape from the prison, 36 men have tried. One of the most famous escapes was in 1962, when three inmates spent months to dig a hole through the wall. One night they crawled through the hole and then through the ventilation on the sealing. They had homemade fleets waiting for them on the north side of the island which they fled to. They were never found, but presumably they droned in the cold swiftly flowing water.

The prison closed in 1969-71 and was shortly after “occupied” by 600 Indians as a demonstration against the w...