Alcatraz: Island in San Fransisco Bay

A Fort, Jail, and National Park

Alcatraz seems to have made it into too many TV shows and movies to count.  It seems to be a particular favorite of science fiction films like The Book of Eli and X-Men: The Last Stand.  For all of the films it's been in, I didn't know much about the history of the island until I visited it.  Now a part of the National Park System, a trip to the island is perfect for history buffs wishing to broaden their knowledge.

I stand in front of one of the many cells on the main cell blocks of Alcatraz.  What a dismal place to live.

The only access to Alcatraz is not surprisingly by boat service provided by the National Park System.  There are many ticket options, none of them I would call cheap, in comparison to other national parks anyway.  Wanting the full experience though, we splurged for a night tour for a little over forty dollars a person.  The ferry left from downtown San Francisco right before sunset, giving us great view of the sun dipping below the Golden Gate Bridge as the ferry circled around to the far side of the island.  Once on land, we picked up our audio guides provided as part of the tour package and started the climb from the dock to the interesting parts of the island.

The administration offices of the prison have a nice patio with a beautiful view of downtown San Francisco.

Although most famous for its time as a jail, Alcatraz's first federal use was as a fort, used in cohesion with Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge to guard the entrance of San Francisco Bay.  Constructed at the beginning of the Civil War, the purpose of the island would change over the course of the war.  The military began using the fortifications on the island to jail disruptive soldiers, then military prisoners, and by the end of the war any private citizens suspected of confederate sympathies, including politicians.  Alcatraz remained a military fort well after the Civil War and through World War I, until it was eventually converted in the prison it is now so well known for in 1934.

Alcatraz as seen from the Naval Marine Park in San Francisco.  After taking this photo, I knew I had to visit.

Walking up from the docks to the prison we passed many of the store houses carved into the island bedrock used primarily for military purposes.  We wandered into a few of the large arched caverns, reading about the military history of Alcatraz.  We didn't stay long though, as what we really wanted to see was the prison.

David poses in the corridor of the main cell blocks.  This is where we would later see a demonstration of the slammer.

We sprung for the audio guide with our tour, an extra expenditure well worth the money.  As we listened, the tour brought us through the main cell block, hospital, showers, cafeteria, and administration buildings, all the while regaling us with stories from the island, told from prisoners and guards who lived and worked in the prison.  I'll admit it was a bit weird listening to the soft voices of elderly men and realizing half of them were once imprisoned in this cold (mentally and physically) establishment.   

All that is left of the Alcatraz infirmary is enough to creep a person out of their skin.

I don't remember most of the stories the old men told, but one has stuck with me.  It was the story of a prisoner in the hole in solitary confinement.  Solitary confinement is a a three story row of cells facing some windows, though which just a glimmer of the city of San Francisco can be seen.   On the first level of solitary confinement all the way at the end is the hole, a few cells with two sets of locked doors to block out all light and most sound.  Troublesome prisoners were left in the hole with only a mattress, no light, and no way to know how much time had passed.  As the prisoner recalled in my headphones, the best way to not be driven mad was to find something to do.  He settled for tearing a button off of his shirt and flinging it into the darkness.  He would then crawl around the cell feeling for the button with his finger tips.  Once he found the button he would throw it back into the darkness and start again.  Just thinking of the story I want to roll my eyes at every child with a house full of toys who has said "I'm bored."

David stands in solitary confinement, where Al Capone spent much of his time.  On the bottom left, one of the doors to the hole can be seen.

Our tour of Alcatraz consisted of more than an audio guide though.  Live demonstrations were available throughout the evening.  My favorite demonstration was that of the slammer, the nick name for the intricate mechanism which controlled the opening and closing of cell doors in the main cell blocks.  At the end of each row of cells in a nondescript box mounted on the wall are the levers that control the slammer.  Depending on the order in which when the levers are pulled, the operator can open all the cells on the block, or a single cell, or a row of cells.  It truly was impressive, although not as impressive as the sound of every cell door on the block slamming closed at the same time, a sound worthy of a Stephen King story.  

No shower privacy for prisoners of Alcatraz.  I think I'll keep my shower at home.

Almost more famous than Alcatraz are the people who did their time on the island, people like Al Capone, the Bird Man, and Frank Lee Morris who with two other prisoners were the only prisoners to escape the island successfully, although it is not known whether they made it to the mainland or drowned in icy San Francisco Bay.  Like its inmates, Alcatraz is truly a unique place, so unlike any other historical building I've visited.  All of the castles, forts, and churches start to blend together after awhile, but Alcatraz stands alone in my mind, kind of like it does in San Francisco Bay.  I highly recommend a visit to the island to anyone visiting the bay area, and know the price of admission is money well spent.  Just be sure to book early, as in weeks if not months early.  Our tour sold out weeks in advance, in the off season.