Island

It was probably the most famous prison in all of the United States, and while it had a long history as a military prison, its life as a federal pentientiary was relatively short.  For 29 years, from 1934 until 1963, Alcatraz aka "The Rock" housed the most dangerous federal criminals in the nation.   It was on this date in 1934, August 11, that the first group of prisoners arrived on an island off the coast of San Francisco, and walked into a heavily fortified building.  

Prison block in Alcatraz

It was uninhabited by humans when Spanish Lieutenant Juan Manuel de Ayala explored the small island in 1775.  He is credited with naming the island, at least as far as recognized by American civilization, calling it Isla de los Alcatraces, or "Island of the Pelicans."  The Spanish name has been Americanized.  Alcatraz certainly sounds more foreboding and dark than does Pelican,  but that could simply be a result of mental image of word association with the prison, rather than with pelicans.  The island was sold to the United States in 1849.  In 1854 it gained some now unrecognized notariety as the lcoation of the first lighthouse off the coast of California.  Five years later a US Army detachment was sent to live on the island.  I suspect those men were less than impressed with the living conditions.  Beginning in 1868, Alcatraz became home to military criminals.  Besides housing bad boy soldiers, it housed rebellious Indian scouts, and soliders who had deserted to the Filipino cause in the US war with the Phillipines.  

Prison cell

However, its most famous prisoners were during its 29 year term as a federal prison.  Two of course probably come immediately to mind--Al Capone, and the Bird Man of Alcatraz whose name was Richard Stroud.  Capone, who arrived slightly later in 1934, gained notariety for his exploits in the Chicago underworld, and not because his niece, Delores Maritote, once dated my only still living uncle.  The Bird Man, on the other hand, gained fame due to his ornitholigical studies while impriosoned in Leavenworth.  Some of his studies were published.  It was his killing of a guard in that Kansas prison that gained him an all expenses paid trip to Alcatraz. 

Al Capone, Alcatgraz Mug shot

Escape from Alcatraz was difficult, and it is widely believed of the three or so dozen who tried to escape none were successful.  Although not all bodies were recovered.  Only one man is thought to have swum the distance to shore, and he was found hypothermic and in poor condition when he got ashore.  

Richard Stroud

Due to costs of keeping the prison operational, then Attorney General Robert Kennedy decided to close the prison.  It was briefly occupied by some Sioux Indians in 1964, using the belief from an earlier, 1868, treaty that unoccupied government territory was their's to reclaim.  A more rebellious group of Sioux occupied the island in 1969, but federal marshals put an end to that occupation in 1971.  

Alcatraz

Alcatraz still stands in the nation's collective memory of what a prison was.  Today it is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation area, maintained by the US Park Service.  Alcatraz sees over one million visitors a year.  Alcatraz is word associated with the prison, and that word in the nation has one intense association, and that association is not of Pelicans.  The Birdman of Pelican Island may have some literary association, but it is no where near as dastardly sounding as the Birdman of Alcatraz.  Stroud was not allowed to continue his study of birds while at Alcatraz.  Hence, it is left unknown what he would have determined from a study of seabirds. As for my uncle and his date, I think it was a one time event of dinner at Chicago's Old Hilton Hotel Boulevard Room, and attending the Ice Capades.