During our stay in San Francisco we decided to visit Alcatraz. The audio guide was very informative. The prison on Alcatraz island was initially a military prison – those imprisoned included WW1 conscientious objectors and soldiers discovered to be gay. From 1934 to 1936 it was used as a state prison. Prisoners from other prisons were sent to Alcatraz if they had been behaving badly. There were several escape attempts but only one was successful and it is not known whether the three men who escaped together actually survived the attempt. They disappeared without trace and may well have drowned in San Francisco bay. (click on the images to enlarge).
Nature had taken over in some of the areas outside the prison and whilst waiting for the ferry we were observed by this bird.
For me, by far the most interesting aspect of Alcatraz was learning about the Indian occupation of 1969. When you arrive on the island you can see graffiti on the walls and the water tank, declaring the island to be Indian land. There is a room on the island devoted to this occupation with information around the walls and a video to watch (see below).
Here is the video (in four sections) of the Indian occupation of Alcatraz. It is well worth watching.