Barney Peterson / The Chronicle
Before San Francisco’s Alcatraz Island became a world-class national park, the maximum-security prison was the end of the line for criminals like Al Capone and George “Machine Gun Kelly” Barnes. Although it only operated between 1934 and 1963, the facility captured the public’s imagination with its storied history.
The penitentiary began as a military outpost during the 19th century and through the Civil War, housing military prisoners for almost 100 years before it was turned over to the Department of Justice in 1933. Located a little more than a mile from the San Francisco coast, the island was chosen by officials because of its remoteness and the freezing bay currents that surrounded it like a moat. Though escape was said to be impossible, many inmates attempted to break out of Alcatraz.
Barney Peterson / The Chronicle
Barney Peterson / The Chronicle
On April 4, 1943, four men escaped the prison after binding and gagging the cell block guards. The men braved the icy water and swam toward freedom. Officers in the gun towers immediately began shooting at the four bobbing heads. Two men were wounded and drowned. One was captured in the bay, and another was found hiding in a cave on the island. Debate continues as to whether anyone has ever successfully escaped from the prison.
Barney Peterson / The Chronicle
Barney Peterson / The Chronicle
As time went on, buildings on the island began to deteriorate so much that inmates Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers were able to chip their way out using spoons in 1962. Slashed budgets forced the prison’s closure, and on March 22, 1963, the final 27 inmates left the island.
Barney Peterson / The Chronicle
Barney Peterson / The Chronicle
But the island’s story did not end with the prison’s closure. In 1969, more than 80 young Native Americans from Mohawk, Cherokee and other indigenous groups took over Alcatraz after a fire destroyed the American Indian Center in San Francisco. The occupation of Alcatraz lasted more than 18 months until June 11, 1971, when the remaining activists left the island on a Coast Guard cutter.
Vincent Maggiora / The Chronicle
Vincent Maggiora / The Chronicle
Vincent Maggiora / The Chronicle
Vincent Maggiora / The Chronicle
In 1973, Alcatraz Island opened to the public as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Today, it is among the San Francisco's top tourist spots and draws about 1.7 million visitors annually. Artist Ai Weiwei has created an installation at the prison, and each year, Indigenous people gather on the island to commemorate the anniversary of the occupation.
Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle
Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle