Alcatraz Island Favorites

Favorite thing: This square confined area outside the cell blocks was known as the recreation area. This was the only exposure Alcatraz inmates had to the outside world. With the exception of meals and brief time spent in recreation, Alcatraz inmates were constantly confined to their tiny cells.

Favorite thing: D Block was the isolation unit, otherwise known as the Segregation and Treatment Unit. This was the place where prisoners who continued to be unruly and disruptive were sent. Its hard to take away privileges from those who have so few, but prisoners in D block were isolated from the main population and confined to their dark cells.

Favorite thing: The cell where Al Capone stayed while on Alcatraz is, for some reason, unknown. Because he was a notorious gangster, most people are eager to visit his cell. But, since there is no "Al Capone slept here" slogan graffitied on the wall and no such records were kept, it remains a mystery. According to the NPS information, Capone spent most of the 4 and a half years on Alcatraz in a hospital isolation cell. Whichever cell Capone occupied really is of no consequence as all the cells are the same: tiny, bare and confining.

Favorite thing: Alcatraz is the Spanish word for Pelican.

This Island is discovered by the Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala in 1755, and he named it after the pelican living here.

It was first used as a prison by the U.S. army during the Civil war.

It is probably the most famous prison in the United States, as it was impossible to escape, because of the strong and cold currents.

Its nickname is "The Rock".

Fondest memory: visiting the cell blocks.

Favorite thing: At the end of the cellblocks there were pictures of the Infamous Inmates.

- George 'Machine Gun' Kelly : Kidnapping - 1934 - 1951

- Al 'Scarface' Capone : Tax evasion : 1934 - 1939

- Robert Stroud 'the Birdman of Alcatraz' : manslaughter, Murder - 1942 - 1959

- Meyer 'Mickey' Cohen : Racketeering - 1961 - 1962

- Alvin 'Creepy' Karpis : Kidnapping, Bank robbery - 1936 - 1962

- Arthur 'Doc' Barker : Kidnapping - 1935 - 1939

Fondest memory: learning about the history of this prison

Favorite thing: The entire island is full of architectural beauty. This is hard to believe, but all buildings there are beautiful, except for the inside of the prison, which will "creep you out".

Fondest memory: Except for the beautiful buildings, which are only beautiful because of the aging of them, there are no fond memories. It is very eerie and depressing even after all of these years and on a beautiful sunny day. It IS historically very interesting.