Download or read book A History of Alcatraz Island 1853 2008 written by Gregory L. Wellman and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2008 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As one of America's most notorious prisons, Alcatraz has been a significant part of California's history for over 155 years. The small, lonely rock, known in sea charts by its Spanish name "Isla de los Alcatraces," or "Island of Pelicans," lay essentially dormant until the 1850s, when the military converted the island into a fortress to protect the booming San Francisco region. Alcatraz served as a pivotal military position until the early 20th century and in 1934 was converted into a federal penitentiary to house some of America's most incorrigible prisoners. The penitentiary closed in 1963, and Alcatraz joined the National Park Service system in 1972. Since then, it has remained a popular attraction as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Download or read book History of Alcatraz Island since 1853 A written by Gregory L. Wellman and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2022-07-04 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As one of America's most notorious prisons, Alcatraz has been a significant part of California's history since 1853. The small island known in sea charts by its Spanish name Isla de los Alcatraces or Island of Pelicans laid essentially dormant until the 1850s, when the US military converted the island into a fortress to protect the booming San Francisco region. Alcatraz served as a pivotal military position until the early 20th century and in 1934 was converted into a federal penitentiary to house some of America's most incorrigible prisoners. The penitentiary closed in 1963, and Alcatraz joined the National Park Service system in 1972. Since then, it has remained one of the Bay Area's most popular attractions as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Gregory L. Wellman, a California-based consultant, reveals in these images the evolution of Alcatraz. The island's startling transformation comes alive through the photographic collections of the Alcatraz Alumni Association, the Golden Gate National Archives, and other private collections from around the country. This stirring imagery documents the evolution of one of America's most renowned and memorable landmarks.
Download or read book History of Alcatraz Island written by Gregory L. Wellman and published by Arcadia Library Editions. This book was released on 2008-05 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Rock written by Pierre Odier and published by Nicholson. This book was released on 1982 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Alcatraz Prison in American History written by Marilyn Tower Oliver and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book traces the intriguing history of Alcatraz Island, located off the coast of San Francisco, from the earliest years of Spanish exploration to the present day. Highlighting the unique geographical features of the island, it shows how Alcatraz went through many changes, being used over the years as a military facility, a notorious federal prison widely believed to be escape-proof, as well as the site of American Indian uprisings.
Download or read book Uncle Sam s Devil Island written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-11-08 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading Alcatraz Island has been home to a lighthouse, a military fort, a national park, and gatherings of Native American protesters, but say the name Alcatraz to any American and they will immediately associate it with prison. This is somewhat ironic since the island, just a mile and a half away from San Francisco in the Bay, was a federal prison for only three decades, but in that time, "The Rock" became notorious for being the most secure prison in the nation. In that time, 3 dozen prisoners tried to escape, which led to the "Battle of Alcatraz" and some of the most complex plots ever made to bust out, but nobody ever successfully escaped The Rock, and several died trying. As one commenter poignantly put it, "You break the rules, you go to prison. You break the prison rules, you go to Alcatraz Prison." Another writer echoed this sentiment, calling Alcatraz "the great garbage can of San Francisco Bay, into which every federal prison dumped its most rotten apples." In a sense, it was fitting that Alcatraz became the most famous prison in American history, because hundreds of years before the penitentiary was located there, it was being used by Native Americans to banish members. Thanks to the strong currents near it and the cold, inhospitable terrain of the small island, Native Americans only used it sparingly, and unruly members were often sent there as punishment. While local Native Americans referred to it as "Evil Island," the island got its most famous name from Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala, who mapped the Bay in 1775 and named the island "La Isla de los Alcatraces" ("The Island of the Pelicans"). Although pelicans no longer call the island home, a French explorer in the early 19th century confirmed that the island was "covered with a countless number of these birds. A gun fired over the feathered legions caused them to fly up in a great cloud and with a noise like a hurricane." Like the Native Americans, the Spanish barely used the island, but given its location, the island would eventually have military value. The federal government eventually established a fort on the island, and it was soon used to hold Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. During the war, one Union supporter gloated over the news that one Confederate sympathizer "will be transported to the healthful but breezy atmosphere of Alcatraz Island, where he can ruminate ad nauseum and chew the bitter end of treason." For all of these reasons, Alcatraz has a unique legacy and it remains a fixture of American pop culture. Indeed, it remains one of San Francisco's most popular tourist destinations. As a former captain of the guards, Philip Bergen, put it, "The public never wanted to know that real Alcatraz. Even today after the prison has been closed for so many decades, the public just won't let go of the myths." Uncle Sam's Devil Island: The History and Legacy of Alcatraz Island chronicles the history of the island before, during, and after it became America's most notorious prison. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Rock like never before.
Download or read book Alcatraz written by Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-04-16 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes accounts of the prison written by officials and inmates *Describes the various parts of the prison, the Battle of Alcatraz, and escape attempts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents "It's mighty good to get up and leave. This Rock ain't good for nobody." - Frank Weatherman, the last prisoner to leave in 1963 Just a little over 2 kilometers offshore from the sparkling waters of the San Francisco Bay lies a humble strip of 22-acre land. Squawking pelicans, seagulls, and pigeons soar over the mysterious island, which is hugged by dense, salty fog. This island, of course, is Alcatraz. Alcatraz Island has been home to a lighthouse, a military fort, a national park, and gatherings of Native American protesters, but say the name Alcatraz to any American and they will immediately associate it with prison. With the likes of Al Capone, Robert "Birdman" Stroud, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, and James "Whitey" Bulger gracing the inmate roster, many quickly associated toughness with the prison. Not before long, legendary stories began surfacing from the island penitentiary, both true and fiction. The island was a federal prison for only three decades, but in that time, "The Rock" became notorious for being the most secure prison in the nation. In that time, 3 dozen prisoners tried to escape, which led to the "Battle of Alcatraz" and some of the most complex plots ever made to bust out, but nobody ever successfully escaped The Rock, and several died trying. As one commenter poignantly put it, "You break the rules, you go to prison. You break the prison rules, you go to Alcatraz Prison." Another writer echoed this sentiment, calling Alcatraz "the great garbage can of San Francisco Bay, into which every federal prison dumped its most rotten apples." In a sense, it was fitting that Alcatraz became the most famous prison in American history, because hundreds of years before the penitentiary was located there, it was being used by Native Americans to banish members. Thanks to the strong currents near it and the cold, inhospitable terrain of the small island, Native Americans only used it sparingly, and unruly members were often sent there as punishment. While local Native Americans referred to it as "Evil Island," the island got its most famous name from Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala, who mapped the Bay in 1775 and named the island "La Isla de los Alcatraces" ("The Island of the Pelicans"). Although pelicans no longer call the island home, a French explorer in the early 19th century confirmed that the island was "covered with a countless number of these birds. A gun fired over the feathered legions caused them to fly up in a great cloud and with a noise like a hurricane." Like the Native Americans, the Spanish barely used the island, but given its location, the island would eventually have military value. The federal government eventually established a fort on the island, and it was soon used to hold Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. During the war, one Union supporter gloated over the news that one Confederate sympathizer "will be transported to the healthful but breezy atmosphere of Alcatraz Island, where he can ruminate ad nauseum and chew the bitter end of treason." For all of these reasons, Alcatraz has a unique legacy and it remains a fixture of American pop culture. Indeed, it remains one of San Francisco's most popular tourist destinations. As a former captain of the guards, Philip Bergen, put it, "The public never wanted to know that real Alcatraz. Even today after the prison has been closed for so many decades, the public just won't let go of the myths." Alcatraz: The History of America's Most Notorious Island and Prison examines the colorful and controversial past of Alcatraz. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Rock like never before.
Download or read book THE ROCK A HISTORY OF ALCATRAZ ISLAND 1847 1972 written by and published by Jeffrey Frank Jones. This book was released on with total page 600 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PREFACE This historic resource study of Alcatraz Island does not have an approved task directive. However, it has been prepared in accordance with the standards and regulations concerning historic preservation. The objective has been to complete a document that will prove useful to planning, management, preservation, and interpretation. Direct quotations herein have on rare occasion been carefully modified by minor punctuation .changes. Care has been taken not to change the original meaning. The actual rank of army officers is used throughout the report, their brevet grades being ignored. Also, in describing the post-Civil War years, officers are referred to by their regular army grades, not by their wartime positions. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The great bulk of the research on Alcatraz Island was done in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and in the Federal Archives and Records Center in San Bruno, California. At San Bruno my thanks go to Jo Ann Williamson, Robyn Gottfried, Daniel Nealand, and Mary Kiely, all of whom cheerfully put up with my demands. When my research notes were stolen and I had to return to San Bruno to repeat the research, these people still welcomed me. My sincere appreciation goes to the entire staff in Old Military Records, Army and Navy Branch, National Archives. There are too many to name and I am bound to forget someone, but I am in the debt of that whole grand group of people who kept the records coming month after month. A special thanks goes to Dr. Elaine C. Everley, who graciously replied to my letters of inquiry on a number of esoteric subjects. In the Audiovisual Archives Division, both Judy Pratt, Motion Picture Branch, and Douglas Thurman, Still Picture Branch, assisted me greatly in locating film pertaining to all phases of Alcatraz's history. My thanks go, too, to Graeme McCluggage, Cartographic Archives Division, who helped me examine maps of the San Francisco Bay Area for a solid week. This was one of the most exhausting weeks in my entire research career, but it was also one of the most rewarding. Thomas Lipscomb at Suitland, Maryland, was most understanding when I was called away at a moment's notice and when, a few weeks later, I returned to ask for the same records. My than-ks also to Donald Mosholder, who introduced me to the records of the Bureau of Prisons.
Download or read book The Fading Voices of Alcatraz written by Jerry Lewis Champion Jr. and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2011 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Portrays the history of Alcatraz Island as shared by the men who lives and worked there.
Download or read book Escape from Alcatraz written by J Campbell Bruce and published by . This book was released on 2024-02-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Escape from Alcatraz: Farewell to the Rock, was published in 1963 just weeks before the last prisoner was escorted off Devil's Island and Alcatraz. The book chronicles details the Rock's transition from a Spanish fort to the maximum-security prison that housed infamous inmates including Robert Stroud, the "Birdman of Alcatraz", and mobster Al Capone. Also included are the escape attempts by Frank Morris and two accomplices, becoming the basis for the 1979 Clint Eastwood movie of the same name. Author J. Campbell Bruce (1906-1996) was a feature writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, a lecturer, and a regular contributor to national magazines.
Download or read book Alcatraz from Inside written by Jim Quillen and published by Golden Gate National Park Assn. This book was released on 1991 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this fascinating autobiographical account, Jim Quillen tells the amazing story of his decade incarcerated in America's most infamous prison -- how he got there, how he stayed alive inside, and, most important, how he found the inspiration and courage to get out.
Download or read book San Francisco in World War II written by John Garvey and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Everything changed on the morning of December 7, 1941, and life in San Francisco was no exception. Flush with excitement and tourism in the wake of the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, the city was stunned at the severity of the Pearl Harbor attack, and quickly settled into organized chaos with its new role as a major deployment center for the remainder of the war. "Frisco" teemed with servicemen and servicewomen during and after the conflict, forever changing the face of this waterfront city. Warships roamed the bay, and fearsome gun embankments appeared on the cliffs facing the sea, preparing to repel an invasion that never happened.
Download or read book Alcatraz Island written by James P. Delgado and published by . This book was released on 1985-01-01 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Inside Alcatraz written by Jim Quillen and published by Random House. This book was released on 2015-01-15 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each day we saw the outside world in all its splendour, and each day that view served as a reminder that we had wasted and ruined our lives. Jim Quillen, AZ586 - a runaway, problem child and petty thief - was jailed several times before his twentieth birthday. In August 1942, after escaping from San Quentin, he was arrested on the run and sentenced to forty-five years in prison, and later transferred to Alcatraz. This is the true story of life inside America's most notorious prison - from terrifying times in solitary confinement to daily encounters with 'the Birdman', and what really happened during the desperate and deadly 1946 escape attempt.
Download or read book Where Is Alcatraz written by Nico Medina and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2016-05-24 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Escape from the ordinary and break into Alcatraz, America's most famous prison! The island of Alcatraz has always been a place that's fascinated visitors, from the Native American tribes who believed it was home to evil spirits to the Spanish explorers who discovered the island. In modern times, it was a federal prison for only 29 years, but now draws over a million visitors each year. Learn the history of America's most famous prison, from its initial construction as a fort in the 1800s, to its most famous residents such as Al Capone and "Machine Gun" Kelly. Where Is Alcatraz? also chronicles some of the most exciting escape attempts—even one that involved chipping through stone with spoons and constructing rafts out of raincoats!
Download or read book Theatres of San Francisco written by Jack Tillmany and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You read the sad stories in the papers: another ornate, 1920s, single-screen theatre closes, to be demolished and replaced by a strip mall. That's progress, and in this 20-screen multiplex world, it's happening more and more. Only a handful of the 100 or so neighborhood theatres that once graced these streets are left in San Francisco, but they live on in the photographs featured in this book. The heyday of such venues as the Clay, Noe, Metro, New Mission, Alexandria, Coronet, Fox, Uptown, Coliseum, Surf, El Rey, and Royal was a time when San Franciscans thronged to the movies and vaudeville shows, dressed to the hilt, to see and be seen in majestic art deco palaces. Unfortunately, this era has passed into history despite the dedicated efforts of many neighborhood preservation groups.
Download or read book San Francisco s Marina District written by William Lipsky and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When driving into San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, the sweeping vistas and greenery gradually give way to the city's charming and inviting Marina District. This area is undoubtedly one of San Francisco's most picturesque and best-known neighborhoods and is famous for its aesthetic and historic appeal. Adjacent to the Presidio, the Golden Gate, and Chrissy Field, the Marina hosts a large number of Art Deco structures and the famed Palace of Fine Arts, a resplendent collection of buildings originally designed for the Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915. The exposition was held to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal, but also to show the world that San Francisco had recovered and rebuilt from the 1906 earthquake. The Marina rose from the site of the Pan Pacific to become one of the city's most desirable and recognizable districts, known for its architecture, culture, and dramatic waterfront setting.
