On this day, Aug. 11, in 1934, Alcatraz Island opened as a federal prison to combat the sharp rise in violence provoked by Prohibition and the Great Depression.
The 22-acre rocky outcrop in San Francisco Bay known as “The Rock” was created to house the most dangerous outlaws and gangsters who had gained influence in areas law enforcement agencies were not equipped to control.
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The prison closed in 1963 and no inmate was known to have successfully escaped.
Famous Alcatraz residents include Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, James “Whitey” Bulger, Alvin “Creepy Karpis” Karpowicz, Bumpy Johnson and Robert Straud, “The Birdman of Alcatraz.”
Today, Alcatraz is a historic site operated by the National Park Service.
– Scott McCabe
