Alcatraz: The Rock In The Bay

We may never know for sure if anybody has ever escaped from the 12-acre island penitentiary of Alcatraz. While most of those who attempted to do so were shot or drowned in the San Francisco Bay, Frank Lee Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin successfully made their way to the edge of the water on June 11, 1962, then disappeared. Maybe they drowned and were swept out to sea — or maybe not.

The barren island came to be called “The Rock,” though the word “alcatraces” is Spanish for “cormorant.” The water birds on the island reminded early Spanish explorers of the cormorants in Spain.

The island was used as a fort and prison during the U.S. Civil War, then as a military prison for those serving long sentences.

On July 1, 1934, it became a U.S. penitentiary, and housed only the most violent criminals, such as the notorious Al Capone and “Machine Gun” Kelly.

Alcatraz Penitentiary was closed in 1963 when it became too expensive to maintain.