This Day in History: Alcatraz

On this day in 1934, Alcatraz accepts its first official group of federal prisoners. That maximum security prison in the middle of San Francisco Bay would soon become the stuff of legends, earning a reputation as “The Rock” from which no prisoner could possibly escape.

Did you know the facility was a military prison long before it was a civilian one?

As early as the 1850s, the Army was constructing a fort on the island. It soon began using Alcatraz as a military prison, but supply and maintenance of the facilities were expensive. By the early 1930s, the Army was looking for a way out. Simultaneously, the Federal Bureau of Prisons needed a better place to house its most dangerous prisoners.

A deal was made, and the facility changed hands. The first group of 14 federal prisoners arrived on August 11, 1934.

The prison remained open for 29 years, housing such famous names as Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. But was the prison really inescapable?

Well, mostly.

Thirty-six men attempted the dangerous feat, hoping to sneak out and make the cold trip across San Francisco Bay. Of these, 23 were captured alive, 6 were shot, and 2 drowned. Five others were presumed drowned. One of the captured prisoners came close to escaping: He survived the brutal swim, but he was later found suffering from shock and hypothermia on the opposite shore.

Perhaps the most notorious escape attempt was made by Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin.

They stole spoons, which they sharpened, and a vacuum cleaner motor. Over the course of months, they loosened vents in their cells. By the night of the escape, they had created dummy heads out of “plaster, flesh-tone paint, and real human hair,” according to the FBI. They placed them in their beds to fool the night guards, then crawled through the ventilation system and out into the night. They launched from the island in an improvised raft made out of rubberized raincoats.

They were never seen again.

The FBI investigated for years but did not find any credible evidence that they survived. Nevertheless, some of their family still claim that the men reached land and began life anew under assumed names.

Either way, Alcatraz’s end was near.

You may remember that the Army originally ditched the prison for financial reasons. Maybe the Federal Bureau of Prisons should have paid more attention? The facilities continually suffered from saltwater damage. Moreover, getting supplies to the island was expensive. In the end, maintaining a prisoner at Alcatraz cost roughly three times more than on the mainland.

Needless to say, Alcatraz was proving unworkable, and it closed in 1963. The land was declared “excess federal property,” which prompted some Sioux Indians to file a claim for the right to occupy it. Later, a group from a variety of tribes traveled to the island and squatted for a time.

“The group suffered numerous mishaps including the tragic death of the group leader’s 13-year-old daughter,” a General Services Administration description explains, “and an accidental fire that destroyed numerous buildings . . . .”

The occupiers mostly departed on their own, but in 1971, the last fifteen were removed.

Today, of course, Alcatraz is one of the National Park Service’s most popular historical sites.

“People come from all over the world to meet eye-to-eye with the ghosts of America’s toughest criminals,” historian Michael Esslinger writes. He concludes that “Alcatraz will forever remain woven into the fabric of life in San Francisco, and it will stand as an iconic symbol in the annals of American history and folklore.”

A note for those who are interested: Some of you might know I am running an experiment in history reels. If you are so inclined, check out my YouTube channel and/or subscribe to those HERE. Don’t miss the reel about the WASPs that I posted over the weekend! 

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Primary Sources: 

• Alcatraz Island (National Park Service)

• Alcatraz Origins (Federal Bureau of Prisons)

• History: Alcatraz Escape (FBI)

• Javier Fernandez, The Captivating History of Alcatraz Island: From Military Fort to National Historic Landmark (General Services Administration; May 18, 2020)

• Michael Esslinger, Alcatraz : A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years (3rd ed. 2006)

• Myles Burke, 'It was the cleverest escape in the prison's 30 years': The men who broke out of Alcatraz with a spoon (BBC; May 5, 2025)