Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island, popularly referred to as "Alcatraz" and "The Rock", is a small island in the San Francisco Bay in California. It is the location of the infamous but long closed federal penitentiary (1934 - 1963) that housed some famous criminals such as such as Al Capone, George "Machine-Gun" Kelly, Alvin Karpis, and Arthur "Doc" Barker.

Alcatraz Island. Image Source National Park Service

Alcatraz Island is also the location of the first lighthouse and US fort on the West Coast when it was occupied by the military (1850 - 1934). The lighthouse was built as a result of hundreds of ships headed for San Francisco wrecking along the dangerous California coastline during the Gold Rush. To protect San Francisco Bay from enemies, the U.S. Army built a Citadel (fortress) which was the most heavily fortified military site on the West Coast. Later, it would be used exclusively as a military prison. The Citadel (fortress) was torn down and military prisoners built the new prison, the Pacific Branch, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks for the U.S. Army. This building later became famously referred to as "The Rock."

Source Information:

• Federal Bureau of Prisons: A Brief History of Alcatraz
• National Park Service: Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Ghost Stories:

Park employees and visitors have claimed to experience strange events such as hearing crying and moaning, strange clanging sounds, feeling cold spots, smelling smoke, and seeing ghosts of prisoners and military personnel. Psychics have have also claimed to feel disruptive spirits.

The most mentioned haunted areas in Alcatraz are Cell 14D; Cell Blocks A, B, and C; and the Ulility Corridor where the incident known as "Battle of Alcatraz" and the "Alcatraz Blastout" occurred (May 2-4, 1946) when 6 inmates in an escape attempt overpowered cellhouse officers and gained access to weapons and keys. In the end, one officer was shot and killed (Stites), one officer died from injuries (Miller), and 3 inmates bodies discovered (Coy, Cretzer, and Hubbard).

Have you had a strange experience here? Let everyone know by adding your comment!

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