Alcatraz Island: Federal Prison

Alcatraz Island The island we all know in the San Francisco bay was first explored by a French explorer names Juan Manuel de Ayala in 1775." While the exact meaning is still debated, Alcatraz is usually defined as meaning "pelican" or "strange bird"(Bop). Instead of being called Alctraces, the name conformed and just became known as Alcatraz. The island opened as a federal prison in 1934. It was notorious for being the prison that held most, if not all of the United States of America's most hazardous criminals. The island was also used for other government purposes before it opened as a penitentiary. In the early 1850's, the island was not yet used as a penitentiary. The United States government was planning on using and arming the island
Many have tried and their outcomes were not as planned. The inmates would either end up back in the prison, missing, or dead. While the prison was open there were 14 known escape attempts with 36 known escapees. 23 of the escapees were caught and didn't even get close to the water, 6 inmates were shot and killed, 2 drowned, and 5 went missing and assumed dead. There is one escape attempt though that catches everyone's eye and immagination. Clarence Anglin, John Anglin and Frank Morris dug holes behind the air vent in their cells to get out. They also used makeshift items like papier-mâché heads to put in their bunks, a water raft, and life preservers made out of rain coats to help ensure their escape. the escape took place in June of 1962. Their makeshift raft was found on shore with them nowhere in sight It was said that they died and their raft floated up on shore. For all we know Clarence, John, and Frank could still be
George was a gangster from the prohibition era of the United States. He got his nick name from his favorite weapon, the Thompson submachine gun. When He was young he took up being a gangster as he needed to support his family and being a cab driver wasn't cutting it. George's bank robberies and crime sprees soon made him public enemy number one. He kidnapped Charles Kelly, who was a oil man and requested a $200,000 dollar ransom. George was arrested after state hoping and trying to elude the authorities. In 1934 he was put into Alcatraz and was reported about boasting about all the crime he never even did. He took a job within the prison system and an altar boy in the chapel. It was reported that it seemed that George felt remorse for what he did. Maybe because it got him locked up, or maybe he actually felt bad about what he did. George was sent to Leavenworth in 1951. While in Leavenworth George died of a heart attack in