10 CURIOSITIES OF ALCATRAZ THAT WILL SURPRISE YOU

The day we spent in Alcatraz (without wives or chains, eh) we discovered a lot of interesting things about “La Roca”, one of the most legendary prisons in the United States and the one that was said, nobody could escape alive.

As we are one of those who do not shut up anything (be careful if you have to reveal a secret) we will tell you a few curiosities of Alcatraz, his prisoners and life in the most cinematic prison in the world.

1. Not only prisoners

One of the things that surprised us most was that civilians lived on the island: we talk about the employees (from the guards to the warden) and their families (children included). It must have been an adventure to live in “La Roca” safer and more terrifying in the whole world, although the children who grew up there say they have good memories (for them it was a place like any other where to play with their friends and live aventurillas).

2. Can I move to Alcatraz, Sir?

Contrary to what many may think, Alcatraz (leaving the damn cold aside) the quality of life was not bad. For example the policy of foods It was much better than most prisons: managers believed that if the dreaded prisoners (remember that here were some of the most dodgy criminals of the time) were well fed, with abundant and rich food, the problems would be minor. And the truth is that they were right, the fights in the dining room were not the daily bread, as used to happen in other prisons.

Something also surprising is that the prisoners had baseball teams and even one band (Al Capone played the banyo!). In addition, being a high security prison, the cells were individual ... come on, Alcatraz was a dreaded prison, but very comfortable (and there were few prisoners from other institutions who requested the transfer there).

3. The bird man

Among his prisoners was Robert Franklin Stoud who, "taking advantage" of the free time of his life sentence, began to study the birds earning the nickname "Birdman of Alcatraz". He even published a book about his observations and inspired a movie (The Man from Alcatraz).

4. The origin of his name

Alcatraz owes its name to the Spanish explorer Juan Manuel Ayala who rediscovered it in 1775 and that upon arrival found an immense colony of gannets.

5. Served as a claim for the natives

One of the things that left us speechless (and about which we had no idea) is that after the closure of the prison a group of American Indians occupied the island... legally: according to a treaty signed in the past they could settle again in all the lands occupied by the white man. They did it to vindicate their situation and in their manifesto, among other things, they explained why the island was perfect for being an Indian reserve: it had no modern infrastructure or means of transport, it had no drinking water, sanitary facilities were insufficient, it had no possibility industrialization, not even health care, the rocky land did not allow animals to feed or cultivate, there were no training centers and who lived there had no freedom or independence. (You can read the entire Manifesto).

They also painted a very striking graffiti at the entrance of the island: “Peace and Freedom Welcome Home of the Free Indian Land.”So that in this way, all the ships that approached San Francisco will remember what the history of the United States was. Did this occupation work? Yes and no ... although at first this protest was able to capture the attention of the press and the sympathy of public opinion, little by little it was forgotten and the last militants were evicted in 1971. Now, not everything was useless: Following the occupation of Alcatraz and a few more, the government decided to return many lands to the natives and pass laws that supported Indian self-determination and self-government.

6. Natural deaths, suicides and murders

On Alcatraz Island death sentences were never produced, this does not mean that there were no deaths ... 15 prisoners died from diseases (or natural death), 5 se they committed suicide and 8 people went murdered (some during riots).

7. The most famous escape

Riot? Clear! Like any great prison worth its salt, Alcatraz had his riots and escape attempts. The most famous was that of Anglis brothers and Frank Morris which, in 1962, managed to escape from prison. Of course, it was never known if they ended up dead in the icy waters of the bay or if, as some photograph suggests, they arrived in Brazil.

8. You can get there by swimming

It was always said that it was impossible to survive swimming from prison to San Francisco, both because of the temperature of the water and the strong currents ... because not only is it possible, but every year hundreds of people do so during the Alcatraz Triathlon.

9. Paranormal events

There were few paranormal episodes that took place in Alcatraz, the most famous is that of an inmate who after being locked in cell 14D began to shout that a figure with the eyes of the color of fire was there. He kept shouting for hours until he suddenly stopped. Nobody paid much attention since they considered him a madman but the next day they found the dead prisoner, with hand marks around his neck and a chilling expression on his face. I'm scared!

10. Some information

• The distance between Alcatraz Island and the San Francisco coast is 2.4 km.
• It opened its doors in August 1934 and remained active until March 21, 1963, as it was too expensive to maintain.
• It is estimated that some 1545 prisoners passed through their cells in these years.
• The Alcatraz prisoners remained within their walls for an average of 8 years.
• The prison library had more than 15,000 volumes!
• In 1972 it became part of one of the hundreds of National Parks and historical places in the United States, thanks to this today we can visit it and stroll through its halls.

So far the curiosities of Alcatraz that surprised us the most ... Do you know others?

Video: What Was It Like to be Jailed at Alcatraz? (April 2024).