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Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary 1934-1963
A history of the island with biographies of famous prisoners and of various escape attempts.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
44 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 6, 2013
Beginning with a history of the island of Alcatraz and moving on to the establishment of the prison, some potted biographies of some of the more well known inmates and ending with 14 of the attempted breakouts, this book is an excellent reference to the subject.
Alcatraz was discovered by the Spanish in 1769 but it was not until 1854 that the US Army Engineers built their fortress thereon. The island survived the great earthquake of 1906 but eventually Alcatraz was costing the military far too much money. And in 1933 the head of federal prisons, Sanford Bates, worked closely with the government to establish Alcatraz as a secure civilian prison.
Many adaptations had to be carried out, for instance $216,927 was spent on iron work alone, but in October of that year the Warden James A Johnston was appointed to be in charge. And in August 1934 53 of the most dangerous prisoners from Atlanta were on their way to the island. Their daily routine and the head counts that the wardens undertook throughout the day are all detailed and the prison was deemed to be escape-proof.
The biographies of prisoners includes, not surprisingly, Al Capone, "Machine Gun" Kelly, Robert Stroud, known as "The Birdman of Alcatraz", and one or two others.
The escape attempts began in April 1936 but none were successful, althoughthe bodies of a couple of escapees were never found. It was, however, considered that the tides of San Francisco Bay had accounted for them. Some prisoners were shot in their attempts to escape and wardens also suffered casualties when trouble occurred.
The prison closed down in March 1963 and the last prisoner to leave, Frank Watherman, stated, 'Alcatraz never was any good for anybody.'
The well illustrated book is an engrossing, if sometimes harrowing read.
Alcatraz was discovered by the Spanish in 1769 but it was not until 1854 that the US Army Engineers built their fortress thereon. The island survived the great earthquake of 1906 but eventually Alcatraz was costing the military far too much money. And in 1933 the head of federal prisons, Sanford Bates, worked closely with the government to establish Alcatraz as a secure civilian prison.
Many adaptations had to be carried out, for instance $216,927 was spent on iron work alone, but in October of that year the Warden James A Johnston was appointed to be in charge. And in August 1934 53 of the most dangerous prisoners from Atlanta were on their way to the island. Their daily routine and the head counts that the wardens undertook throughout the day are all detailed and the prison was deemed to be escape-proof.
The biographies of prisoners includes, not surprisingly, Al Capone, "Machine Gun" Kelly, Robert Stroud, known as "The Birdman of Alcatraz", and one or two others.
The escape attempts began in April 1936 but none were successful, althoughthe bodies of a couple of escapees were never found. It was, however, considered that the tides of San Francisco Bay had accounted for them. Some prisoners were shot in their attempts to escape and wardens also suffered casualties when trouble occurred.
The prison closed down in March 1963 and the last prisoner to leave, Frank Watherman, stated, 'Alcatraz never was any good for anybody.'
The well illustrated book is an engrossing, if sometimes harrowing read.
December 3, 2013
Very interesting to read, especially after just having taken two cruises around the Island where I learned some history. Then I came home and watched some of the classic Alctraz movies. Fun to have the book that sets the info straight from the movies. Couldn't go on the Island since it was closed from Government shutdown when I was there.
To those who live close to me: I'm happy to loan out my book. (only 43 pages)
To those who live close to me: I'm happy to loan out my book. (only 43 pages)
August 31, 2020
A quick cliff note reference to Alcatraz's history.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews