From the 1934 until 1963, Alcatraz was America's premier maximum-security prison, the final stop for the nation's most incorrigible prisoners. Today, Alcatraz is a place of contradictions, with a grim past and an enduring future as one of San Francisco's most prominent landmarks and …

For Alcatraz, inmates who had been served a death sentence were transferred to San Quentin State Penitentiary for execution in the Gas Chamber. How many people died while at Alcatraz? There were eight people murdered by inmates on Alcatraz.

"The Rock" became a synonym for Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay long before its penitentiary housed the most desperate federal prisoners in the United States for almost 30 years, from 1934 to 1963. Alcatraz's historical significance reaches much further back in time and possesses more facets than the story of bank robbers and kidnappers.

Alcatraz Disarmed, Spanish-American War, The Fate of the 15-Inch Rodmans. Alcatraz and the Endicott System, Permanent Military Prison General MacArthur on Fortifications, Alcatraz to be Prison

Frank Lee Morris had spent a lifetime navigating the prison system before his arrival on Alcatraz. From his infant years until his teens Morris was shuffled from one foster home to another, and he was convicted of his first crime at the youthful age of only thirteen.

The 1938 escape attempt was one of the most violent in the island's history, and resulted in the death of a correctional officer, who was fatally assaulted with a hammer by inmate named Rufus Franklin.

Alcatraz was the perfect answer to a problem that no one could seem to control. In August of 1934, without any formal notice, Capone was placed on a secure prison railroad car, on a journey along with 52 other inmates to America's Devil Island.

A large contingent of prisoners arrived on Alcatraz in August 1868, increasing the prison population from 34 to 93. By January 1869, the number had climbed to 127. The chief of engineers, General Humphreys, took a dim view of this …

By far the most infamous prisoner was Alcatraz #85-AZ, 35-year-old Alphonse Capone, from Chicago, Illinois, who was serving 10 years for violation of the income tax law. Johnson was extraordinarily concerned about security on the arrival of this group of incorrigibles.

Full History Table of Contents; Introductory Materials; I. An Introduction To Alcatraz Island; II. The First Fortifications, 1853-1863; III. The Years Of Transition; IV. Alcatraz's Defenses Revamped, 1869-1876; V. The Last Years As A Fortified Place, 1876-1907; VI. Garrison Life On The Rock, 1859-1934; VII. The Military Prison; VIII.