In, Out, and Around Alcatraz

In this episode, we are going to share some history about Alcatraz Island. Do you know how the island got its name? Do you know it was once a military base? Did you know this island housed the first lighthouse on the west coast of the United States? Did you know that Native Americans occupied the island after the prison closed in the late 60s? Learn about the prison, its famous inmates, and those who tried and failed to escape. OR DID THEY? Sit back and tune in.

We have a great discussion about this location in our podcast. We aspire to visit this location in the future.

Alcatraz Island has a history far older and more layered than its reputation as a notorious prison. Long before it housed federal inmates, the rocky island in San Francisco Bay was a windswept outcrop shaped by tides, seabirds, and shifting empires. Its name comes from the Spanish word *Alcatraces*, likely referring to pelicans or seabirds observed by early explorers in the late 18th century.

Before European contact, the island was known to local Native peoples, including the Ohlone. While it was not a permanent settlement site due to its isolation and lack of fresh water, oral histories suggest it may have been used seasonally—for gathering eggs, fishing, or as a place of exile. Like much of the Bay Area, its Indigenous history was disrupted by Spanish colonization beginning in 1769, when missions and military control reshaped the region.

In 1775, Spanish naval officer Juan Manuel de Ayala mapped the island and formally named it. After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, control of California shifted again. But it was the United States’ acquisition of California following the Mexican-American War in 1848 that transformed Alcatraz’s future. The discovery of gold that same year triggered the California Gold Rush, and San Francisco Bay became a strategic maritime hub almost overnight.

Recognizing the island’s defensive potential, President Millard Fillmore designated Alcatraz for military use in 1850. By the mid-1850s, it had been fortified with heavy artillery, becoming the first official military installation on the West Coast. Dozens of cannons were installed to guard the bay against foreign threats. Though it never fired a shot in battle, the fort served as a powerful deterrent during a volatile period in American expansion.

During the Civil War, Alcatraz transitioned into a military prison. Confederate sympathizers, deserters, and later Native American prisoners were held there. Its isolation made escape nearly impossible, and over time the island’s role shifted more toward incarceration than defense. By the late 19th century, the fortress-style defenses were obsolete, but the prison function continued.

In 1907, Alcatraz was officially designated the Pacific Branch of the U.S. Military Prison. A new concrete cellhouse was constructed between 1909 and 1912 by military prisoners themselves. The old fortifications were torn down, and the island became a stark penitentiary. It housed soldiers convicted of crimes ranging from desertion to murder.

The Great Depression marked another transformation. In 1933, the military transferred Alcatraz to the Department of Justice, and in 1934, it reopened as a federal penitentiary. Its mission was clear: to house the most incorrigible and dangerous inmates from other prisons. The cold waters and strong currents of San Francisco Bay reinforced its reputation as escape-proof.

Among its most famous inmates were Al Capone, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, and Robert Stroud. Contrary to Hollywood legend, Alcatraz was not a dungeon of constant brutality; it was known for strict discipline, silence rules, and basic but humane conditions. Yet its psychological isolation made it one of the most feared prisons in America.

In 1962, three inmates—Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin—escaped in a daring plan involving dummy heads and a makeshift raft. Their fate remains unknown, adding to the island’s mystique. A year later, in 1963, the prison closed due to high operational costs and crumbling infrastructure. Maintaining the island was far more expensive than running mainland facilities.

Alcatraz’s final dramatic chapter began in 1969 when a group of Native American activists, primarily from the group Indians of All Tribes, occupied the island. Citing a 19th-century treaty that allowed Native peoples to claim unused federal land, they declared Alcatraz Indian land. The occupation lasted 19 months and drew international attention to Indigenous rights, treaty violations, and federal policy. Though the occupation ended in 1971, it became a pivotal moment in modern Native American activism.

Today, Alcatraz Island is part of the National Park Service and stands as a layered symbol—of military ambition, criminal justice, resistance, and reclamation. From seabird sanctuary to fortress, from prison to protest site, its windswept cliffs hold stories far deeper than the iron bars that once defined it.