Wanderings And Ponderings

Early Beginnings: A Lonely Rock in the Bay Alcatraz’s story begins in 1775 when Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala first mapped the island and named it La Isla de los Alcatraces —the “Island of the Pelicans”—due to the abundance of seabirds nesting there. For years, it remained an isolated, uninhabited rock in the middle of San Francisco Bay. However, by the mid-1800s, the U.S. military recognized its strategic potential. With steep cliffs and strong currents surrounding it, Alcatraz was an ideal location for coastal defense. A military fortress was soon constructed, equipped with cannons to safeguard San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz as a Military Prison Not long after its establishment as a fortress, Alcatraz transitioned into a military prison. Soldiers convicted of desertion, insubordination, and other crimes were sent there, solidifying its reputation as a place where troublemakers were banished. Even before it became a federal penitentiary, Alcatraz was already known as an inescapab...