Top 10 Crazy Facts About Alcatraz

Alcatraz was intended for the worst of the worst but where do the worst of them get sent? That would be Alcatrazs cell block D, home to the Hole... which was a generous way of saying solitary confinement. Inmates were often sent there as punishment, subject to even harsher conditions than they were normally used to. The Hole itself consisted of a series of cells at the end of the D-block, which were bare save for a sink and toilet, and prisoners held there were essentially forbidden from ever leaving their cells. Dont believe us? Take it from inmate Henri Young, a bank robber who testified in 1941 that he was given only two meals in two weeks, and that bathing consisted of a bucket of cold water.

If nothing else, Alcatraz is a fascinating historical site even in ways you might not expect. The appropriately named Alcatraz Island Lighthouse was, indeed, the first of its kind in its region, and was initially completed in 1853. It was considered a necessity at the time, a means of facilitating the gold rush and navigating the dangerous, shark-infested waters near the island. One of seven lighthouses approved by Congress to be built in California, the Alcatraz Island Lighthouse was the first to be up, running, and operational. Although that lighthouse was torn down in the early 20th century due to structural damage, its replacement has stood stalwart and relatively intact since.

While its hard for us to imagine wanting to literally live next to Alcatraz, we can appreciate the fact that it must have been a pretty short commute to work! Situated directly next to the aforementioned Alcatraz Island Lighthouse, the Wardens House was built in the 1920s and is estimated to have contained anywhere from 15 to 18 rooms based on available records. To that end, wardens were often known to host cocktail parties at the mansion! As if that wasnt quite luxurious enough, the dwelling also contained a greenhouse, which well-behaved inmates could be trusted with tending. Maybe going to Alcatraz or, at least, one part of it wouldnt have been quite so bad after all.

Of course, we should mention that that wasnt for lack of trying, but well get into that soon. For now, though, just know that its location was selected precisely for the harsh conditions surrounding it. Just a mile offshore in the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz Island was selected as the perfect location for a federal prison that would be built in 1934. That owed to the ice-cold waters surrounding the island, as well as their choppy, dangerous currents perfect for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Hoping to make a drastic move that would help to stem the flow of an ongoing crime wave, wed say the bureau made a fittingly off-putting choice.

We can definitely understand the desire to, you know, not want to live in Alcatraz anymore. So, with that in mind, its probably not shocking to learn that 36 prisoners attempted 14 escapes. Of course, as the worlds most infamous maximum security prison, it wasnt exactly a walk in the park. 23 of those prisoners were apprehended while making their not-so-great escapes, six were killed in the process, another two drowned, and five more Well, thats another story. Despite 53-degree water and currents in excess of 6 knots, inmate Joseph Bowers[a] became the first man to attempt an escape albeit, an unsuccessful one, given that he died soon after of injuries sustained during his attempt.

Chances are youve heard of this guy. One of the most legendary gangsters who ever lived, Alphonse Gabriel Capone[b] better known simply as Al or Scarface was the notorious boss of the Chicago Outfit, but his reign of terror ended in 1934 when he was sent to Alcatraz for extensive tax evasion. Although his tenure there was brought to an anticlimactic end when his worsening neurosyphilis necessitated his release on medical grounds, Capone seems to have made the most of his time at the isolated island prison. He was allowed to practice his banjo playing in the shower a privilege seemingly unafforded to other inmates and even managed to get away with further illegal activities while behind bars.

Long before Al Capone, long before Henri Young or Joseph Bowers, Alcatraz was designated as a United States military reservation by President Millard Fillmore. During the Civil War, Confederate sympathizers were jailed at what was then known as Fort Alcatraz. Some years later, after being designated as an official prison of the U.S. military, it held American citizens suspected of treason, then captives of the Spanish-American War. Just a few decades prior to being established as a maximum security prison, it also jailed conscientious objectors to World War I. Although dozens of powerful cannons had been set up on Alcatrazs perimeter to defend it during the Civil War, they were never used, and today make fearsome photo ops for tourists.

This ones actually kind of a famous misnomer. Seattle-born Robert Stroud[c] was initially imprisoned at the penitentiary at McNeil Island on charges of assault, manslaughter, and murder. He was transferred to Leavenworth Prison in northeast Kansas following violent incidents at McNeil, where his life took an unbelievable, wholly unpredictable turn. In a remarkable true story, Stroud became a respected ornithologist, caring for and raising some 300 canaries in his time there. Unfortunately for Stroud, his birdkeeping was a major source of ire for the prisons officials, and he was abruptly transferred to Alcatraz after it was discovered that he was making alcohol in his cell. Stroud was given only 10 minutes warning of his expulsion, after which his brother took ownership of his birds.

Of the 14 escape attempts made at Alcatraz, none were ever described by the facility as what you might call successful. However, while no one ever officially escaped from Alcatraz, some attempted escapees were never caught alive or dead. The second ever escape attempt from Alcatraz, orchestrated by Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe, is mostly theorized to have ended in death by drowning for the two; their bodies were never found despite an exhaustive search. Most famously of all, though, was the June 1962 escape attempt, conducted by inmates Frank Morris and brothers Clarence and John Anglin. Although they, too, were never found, their escape has become the stuff of pop culture legend, and was later adapted into the hit 1979 film Escape From Alcatraz.

Before you ask yourself why in the world anyone would purposefully want to live at Alcatraz, just let us explain. Beginning on November 20, 1969, 89 Native American activists stormed the defunct prison site and set up shop there. Primarily led by Richard Oakes and LaNada Means[d], the protest group intended to argue that the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie ceded all unused U.S. territory to the countrys indigenous peoples. Given the fact that Alcatraz had been shuttered some six years earlier, it made for the perfect headquarters. The occupation fell apart once Oakes 13-year-old stepdaughter Annie tragically fell to her death, but stands as a historical symbol of Native American resistance and independence.

Which crazy fact about the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary shocked you the most? Are there any we missed? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

[b]https://youtu.be/7pBfyqI2oXI?si=Gab4dUtjxchgVZBu&t=287
[c]STRAOd https://youtu.be/R7-jFnZbUbs?si=JZs5Eq97DoGrlN8R&t=36
[d]luh-NAY-duh https://youtu.be/LLS576P3Uz0?si=F8bsu7vu9sbW6Qlp&t=51