Let us tell you how a rock became the prison par excellence
Alcatraz needs no introduction. Everyone knows the island and its prison, and just mentioning its name brings to mind images of steel bars, tiny damp cells, and criminals with records dirtier than a Hollywood script.
And yet, you probably don’t know absolutely everything about the history of this prison, right?
Well, we’ve got you covered!
To be fair, we’re not going to tell you every single thing there is to know about Alcatraz: we like you, and we don’t want to hit you with a massive tome full of endless pages of text without even a few pictures to color in.
Still, since we know the prison pretty well—also because we keep enjoying it in person during our group trips to California—we’ve got a few very interesting gems about the island’s history in store for you, including the wildest escape of all time.
Dive into our big article!
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Alcatraz: from anonymous rock to the most famous prison in history
Let’s start from the beginning: Alcatraz was not always a maximum-security prison.
At first, it was just a patch of land nobody paid much attention to, until one Juan Manuel de Ayala discovered it in 1775 and called it “Isla de los Alcatraces” (Island of the Pelicans).
Fast-forward to 1850.
The United States took a good look around and basically said, “You know what? This little island wouldn’t be such a bad place to put people we really don’t like,” and BAM: they built a military base on it that was used as a prison for unruly soldiers and, during the Civil War, for some prisoners of war.
The real turning point came in 1934, when the U.S. government decided Alcatraz worked a little too well as a prison and turned it into a federal maximum-security penitentiary.
In short, it became the place to send the worst of the worst, the nastiest criminals, the ones every other prison hated because they just couldn’t keep them under control.
Like Al Capone, who was thrown into cell 181, where he spent his time playing the banjo.
Why did they send everyone here?
Because Alcatraz was considered a prison no one could escape from: freezing waters all around, strong currents, tough guards who never smiled and were always watching you like a hawk.
And then there were the sharks too. Even if they weren’t all that numerous or dangerous, they were still enough to make anyone think twice about escaping.
Despite all this, there were as many as 14 escape attempts from Alcatraz. Some ended badly. Others, maybe not—like the most famous one in 1962.
The great escape of 1962
At the beginning of the 1960s, three particularly tough inmates were being held at Alcatraz: Frank Morris, a criminal mastermind with a very high IQ, and the Anglin brothers, John and Clarence, two crooks who were basically Houdinis disguised as bank robbers. The three of them had more escape experience than most people have awkward family Christmas dinners.
In 1961, these escape artists began preparing their plan.
For months, they dug holes in the walls of their cells. And they did it using spoons stolen from the prison cafeteria!
Sure, they also helped themselves with a homemade drill built from a vacuum cleaner motor, but still, the fact that they even thought of digging through a wall with a spoon... unbelievable.
As they went along, they hid their work behind painted cardboard made to match the wall colors.
Little by little, they completed their escape route and even made a DIY raft out of a whole pile of stolen raincoats.
On the evening of June 11, 1962, Frank, John, and Clarence decided it was time to say goodbye to Alcatraz. They left fake heads in their beds, made from soap, toilet paper, and real hair.
Once out of their cells, the three climbed into a ventilation duct and reached the roof. From there, they climbed down and headed for the shore, where they carefully prepared the makeshift raft we mentioned earlier. Then they launched themselves into the icy waters of the bay.
And here’s the big question: did they really escape?
According to some theories, yes. According to others, they met a terrible end. Some say they made it to South America and started a new life. Others think they ended up as shark food.
The truth? We may never know. The police searched everywhere, but there was no trace of them. Gone into thin air, like ghosts.
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The end of Alcatraz? No, a new beginning
Let’s see how the curtain came down on this iconic prison—and what legacy it left behind.
The date to circle in red is March 21, 1963. That was the day Alcatraz shut its doors.
Why?
The truth is that maintaining Alcatraz was like owning a gas-guzzling SUV. It cost a fortune! Between heating, water shipped in by boat, and constant repairs, the government basically said, “This place is costing us way too much. Time to shut it down.”
And that’s exactly what they did.
After it closed, Alcatraz did not become a ghost island. On the contrary, it began a new life.
First came the Native American occupation from 1969 to 1971, a key episode in the struggle for civil rights that unfortunately ended with their forced removal from the island.
Then, in the 1970s, Alcatraz transformed from a symbol of repression into a tourism icon.
Today, more than 1.5 million people visit the island every year, drawn by its mysterious history and hallways still echoing with stories from the past.
