Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island: I’m excited about this one, today we’re trying something different. We’re gonna take a look at my favorite historical moments in history, granted it’s a short list but still.

Today we’re taking a look at one of America’s famous prisons called Alcatraz, before we get far I do wanna mention that I have indeed been to Alcatraz Island for the tour.

For most of my childhood, I lived close enough to San Francisco, so I and my family would go up there and head to the island, I’ve been there a total of 20 times. Yes I know get a life dude.

But this subject fascinated me a lot, so what’s the lore behind Alcatraz? Well, Alcatraz Island was created sometime between 1909 and 1912.

It homed some of the most dangerous criminals, 1 of which u will instantly recognize as the prisoner’s name was Al Capone, yes the Al Capone.

We also had the birdman (because he loved birds)

Adam West (no not the actor Adam West)

Frank Morris

John Anglin

Clarence Anglin

We all know the story, one night on the night of June 11, 1962, the 3 prisoners

Frank Morris

John and Clarence Anglin escaped Alcatraz Island, after multiple months of planning.

Stealing raincoats to make into a raft, working in a barbershop. Taking the patients’ hair and using them on their dummy heads they made using soap, concrete dust, toothpaste, toilet paper, and hair. Talk about creativity, to this day those 3 dummy heads are still intact in their beds.

Also, did y’all know this island wasn’t just a prison? This island had a small neighborhood of houses to house the cops and their families.

Heck, the island also had a grocery store, and the kids would hang out with each other.

Honestly, u ask me, that’s a crappy way of growing up. On an island with a prison filled with prisoners.

Anyways if u think the 3 prisoners escaping was all that affecting this island, nope. Not too long after a group of prisoners tried escaping, they threw a cop in one of the cells when their cells were opened.

They locked the cop in and they went to grab guns from the gun room, a shootout happened. It was a blood bath, dang. This was an unsuccessful escape btw.

So on top of 1 successful escape and 1 unsuccessful escape, the island eventually suffered from earthquakes, the building started getting damaged, and became more expensive to keep intact.

So on March 21, 1963, they shut down the island and abandoned it, to this day people can go to the island to attend a tour.

Also to this day, the 3 prisoners have never been found, if u ask me by now they are probably dead.

Also, to this day Alcatraz Island is considered one of the most haunted places in America, why? Don’t ask me why, it’s because they have seen ghost sightings if u believe in any of that.

If all are ever in San Francisco Bay I highly recommend taking the Ferry Boat and going to Alcatraz Island for the tour, it’s worth 1 trip, (don’t be stupid like me and go 20 times).

Then u just end up becoming a walking encyclopedia of Alcatraz Island, also fun fact the show Mythbusters tackled the escape from Alcatraz.

According to Adam and Jammie, they believe that the 3 escapees were way too clever (since Frank Morris had an IQ of 183).

That they would calculate the tides and how rough it is, the issue is apparently they planned to steer their way to Angel Island, which wouldn’t have worked thanks to the tides.

It would have pushed them in the opposite direction, so the Mythbusters figure that the 3 men planned this and they instead planned to go to the Marine Headlands.

That’s an interesting approach in my opinion, also a more logical one, to this day still it’s unknown what happend to the 3 escapees.

Also here’s a documentary on Alcatraz, mainly the 3 escapees.

Also here are some images of the island

I remember on one of my trips to Alcatraz, I went with my Uncle Clark (more about him on my recent post), and his daughter who tagged along took a Pic of him in front of a display wall they had there, this is how it turned out.