Alcatraz, << AL kuh `traz,` >> was a famous federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. The name Alcatraz comes from a Spanish word meaning pelican. The island stands on 12 acres (5 hectares) of solid rock, and Alcatraz was often called The Rock. More than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) of water separates it from the mainland.
Alcatraz Island became the site of the first permanent military fort on the West Coast in 1854. A military prison was added in 1861. In 1909, the wooden prison was replaced by a more modern concrete cell block. Alcatraz became a federal prison in 1934, built to confine some of the most dangerous criminals in the United States. Prisoners included the gangsters Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly, as well as the murderer Robert Stroud, who became known as “The Birdman of Alcatraz.” In 1963, the federal government decided Alcatraz was too expensive to maintain and supply, and closed it. In 1969, a group of American Indians came to Alcatraz and symbolically claimed the island for the Indian people. They occupied the island until 1971. In 1972, Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Visitors may tour the prison.
