Alcatraz Island, Island in San Francisco Bay, California, United States

Alcatraz Island is a rocky island in San Francisco Bay, about 1.25 miles offshore, measuring roughly 1,675 by 590 feet and rising 135 feet at mean tide. Its crest holds the Main Cellhouse, a long building with rows of small windows, while near the water a rectangular building with many small windows stands on a concrete pier. A tall cylindrical lighthouse rises on the left, and a cylindrical water tank on legs stands at the far right.

The island served as a military post starting in 1850 and later housed a military prison before becoming a federal maximum-security facility from 1934 to 1963, where it held notorious criminals such as Al Capone and George Kelly. After closing due to high operating costs, the site became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972 and was opened to the public as a historic landmark.

The name comes from the archaic Spanish word alcatraz, meaning pelican; Juan Manuel de Ayala applied it to a bay island in 1775, and Frederick W. Beechey transferred it to this rock in 1826. From November 1969, Native American activists occupied the island for more than 19 months, and their graffiti remains visible. The prison held Al Capone from 1934 to 1939 and Robert Stroud from 1942 to 1959.

Access is only by ferry departing from Pier 33 at Fisherman's Wharf, and tickets often sell out weeks ahead. Audio guides in several languages are available during daily visits from around 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and warm clothing is advisable due to strong winds and cool temperatures. Paths on the island are steep and uneven, making them challenging for wheelchair users, and since no food is sold on site, bringing water and snacks is recommended.

In June 1962, Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers carried out a carefully planned escape by breaking through ventilation shafts in their cells using handmade tools and leaving dummy heads crafted from soap and papier-mâché in their beds. They crawled through pipes, built a makeshift raft from raincoats, and entered the cold water, though no one knows for certain whether they survived the crossing or drowned in the current.