A History of Alcatraz Island: 1853-2008

Images of America: California

by Gregory L. Wellman

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2008

Reviews

[Gary Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

7th book read in 2018.

Number 160 out of 667 on my all time book list.

Great overview.

[Patsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book needed to be proofread better, but I enjoyed the pictures and learning more about the history of Alcatraz Island.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history of Alcatraz Island. I liked all the photos but thought it wouldn’t take much research to find out who some of the unidentified people were in the photos. Dear author, have you ever heard of census records?

[Grant Bauder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and fun to look at. Excited to visit now with all of the new background info I’ve learned!!

[Buffy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never knew the history of Alcatraz was so rich. The Spanish actually discovered Alcatraz Island in 1770, and it became part of the US when California became a US state in the 1850s.
It was a military installation at first with the intent of defending California in the Pacific.
In 1934, Alcatraz Island was turned over to the US Bureau of Prisons and was a federal prison until 1963. It housed some of America's most hardened criminals, one of the most infamous being Al Capone. (Side note: I didn't know that Al Capone was responsible for the St Valentine's Day Massacre.) 💔
Also interesting: There were never any successful attempts to escape Alcatraz, but some of them were pretty creative. Most escapees were captured, but some were shot or lost at sea. 🌊
But then again, if you swam from Alcatraz to the California coast- would you really tell anyone? 🤔
Alcatraz Island was also occupied by Native Americans from 1970-1971, which changed the relationship between Native Americans and the US government forever. 🇺🇲
After that, Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area; millions of tourists visit it annually.
A very detailed history book on Alcatraz, with lots of great photos.

[Jeremy Muse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional book. The pictures and the story of the island/prison was simply marvelous. Quite a few spelling errors, but a great book.