Alcatraz
I was sad to visit Alcatraz without Brydon but the only tour schedule available was during his conference. So Alcatraz was my one big adventure by myself.
The tour began with a Ferry boat ride to the island.
Alcatraz is a National Park and so tours are at your own pace and on your own. I did spend a short time listening to a Ranger presentation about the history of the island.
Did you know that Alcatraz had been a military fort, a military prison, a federal prison, and was occupied by the American Indian Movement before it became a National Park?
The famous Alcatraz Prison
Peace and Freedom Welcome
Home of the Free Indian Land
When entering Alcatraz you are given a head set and recording. It is a really well done tour with interviews from former inmates and prison guards and informative stories.
Alcatraz facts
The famous jail cells!
Cell Blocks B & C
A Nice 5 foot by 9 foot Cell
The Recreation Area
Me & My Headset!
D Block (Segregation Area)
The cells are bigger here but the inmates had to stay in their cells 24 hours a day. They were allowed recreation once a week alone. Look carefully at the pictures of the inmates and you might see a few famous faces that were put in D Block.
Me hanging out in D Block. On the right are the solitary confinement cells.
Prisoners were put in these cells and the doors were closed so it was pitch black in there.
Only a hole in the ground to do your business.
The Library
These next few pictures are part of a famous escape attempt story. A few prisoners decided to climb up to the gun gallery and attack the guards. In the picture on the right there is a circle in the concrete. Right next to it is a key that opens the cells. The prisoners were able to get this key and some guns.
However the prisoners were not able to leave the prison.
The officer above hid the key that was needed for the prisoners to leave Alcatraz. He was mortally wounded.
The prison riot lasted about 3 days. The light spots in the concrete are from mortar blasts during the riot.
These jail cells were the most wanted. The sun shown in just right and they could sometimes get a view of San Fransisco. Check out the luxury decorations and see if you can spot the radio box in the picture on the right.
Visitation booths
The Wardens House and Lighthouse
The traditional foggy San Fransisco skyline
The Office
The most famous prison break involves 4 inmates who made fake heads from soup and toilet paper, used spoons to dig out the vent hole, and then after climbing in between the walls where the pipes were, they used life vests as a raft. Who knows if they made it alive to the shore.
How the wall is supposed to look and a bad picture of the space in the wall they climbed through.
The Kitchen
Each knife had a shadow painted on the wall so the guards could quickly make sure all were accounted for.
The Guards' families lived on the island. Each day the children were sent to the city for school. Supposedly it was one of the safest communities there could be. The children never saw the inmates and of course there were plans in place to lock down the homes in case of a prison break.
Homes where the families lived and a view of the shore.
Alcatraz was closed after only 29 years. It was just too expensive to run. It cost $10 a day per inmate while other penitentiaries only cost $3. Many repairs needed to be and there was no money. So Alcatraz was closed and abandoned.
Nothing like getting to visit mysterious historical locations like Alcatraz. A very fascinating place!
