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Alcatraz Island Facts & Worksheets

From 1934 until 1963, Alcatraz Island, a federal prison in San Francisco Bay, was home to some of the most challenging and dangerous criminals in the United States.

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From 1934 until 1963, Alcatraz Island, a federal prison in San Francisco Bay, was home to some of the most challenging and dangerous criminals in the United States. Former inmates include Al “Scarface” Capone (1899-1947), a legendary mobster, and Robert “Birdman of Alcatraz” Stroud, an infamous killer (1890-1963).

See the fact file below for more information on Alcatraz Island, or you can download our 29-page Alcatraz Island worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ORIGIN

  • Alcatraz gets its name from the Spanish word “alcatraces.” In 1775, a Spanish explorer named Juan Manuel de Ayala was the first to arrive in San Francisco Bay. His expedition charted the bay and renamed one of the three islands Alcatraces.
  • The name of the island was Anglicized and became more popularly known as Alcatraz. While the precise meaning is still contested, Alcatraz is commonly defined as “pelican.”
  • A presidential proclamation in 1850 designated the island for future use as a United States military reservation. The California Gold Rush, the accompanying increase in San Francisco’s expansion, and the necessity to safeguard San Francisco Bay prompted the United States Army to construct a Citadel, or fortification, at the island’s summit in the early 1850s. 
  • The Army also planned to erect over 100 guns on the island, making Alcatraz the most strongly defended military installation on the West Coast. Alcatraz, Fort Point, and Lime Point created a “triangle of defense” to guard the bay’s entrance. 
  • The island also housed the first operating lighthouse on the United States West Coast.
  • The first military convicts were imprisoned on the island around the late 1850s. While Alcatraz’s defensive need waned over time (the island never fired its guns in conflict), its duty as a jail would last for more than a century. 
  • The Army demolished the Citadel in 1909, leaving the basement level as the basis for a new military jail. Military convicts on Alcatraz built the new prison, the Pacific Branch, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks for the United States Army, from 1909 to 1911. This jail facility ultimately became known as “The Rock.”
  • The United States Army utilized the island for more than 80 years, from 1850 to 1933, when they handed it to the United States Department of Justice for use by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. 
  • The Federal Government had decided to open a maximum-security, minimum-privilege prison to deal with the most recalcitrant inmates in Federal prisons and demonstrate to the law-abiding public that the Federal Government was serious about putting an end to the rampant crime of the 1920s and 1930s.

PRISON LIFE & INFAMOUS PRISONERS OF ALCATRAZ

  • Even though Alcatraz incarcerated Al Capone, George “Machine-Gun” Kelly, Alvin Karpis (the first “Public Enemy #1”), and Arthur “Doc” Barker, the majority of the prisoners there were not well-known gangsters. Most prisoners refused to follow the rules and regulations at other Federal institutions and were considered violent and dangerous or escape risks.
  • The average occupancy was between 260 and 275 people (Alcatraz never achieved its maximum capacity of 336 inmates; at any given time, it housed fewer than 1% of the entire Federal prison population).
  • Many convicts viewed Alcatraz’s living arrangements (for example, always one inmate to a cell) as superior to those at other Federal prisons, and numerous inmates desired a transfer to Alcatraz. 
  • However, while USP Alcatraz was not the “America’s Devil’s Island” that novels and movies frequently depicted, it was built to be a jail for a prison system.
  • In the case of an inmate who failed to behave well at another prison, he might be transferred to Alcatraz, meaning the highly regimented, repetitive daily schedule to educate an inmate to observe rules and regulations. 
  • A prisoner on Alcatraz has four fundamental rights: food, clothes, shelter, and medical care. Everything else was a gift that had to be earned. 
  • Working, communicating with, and receiving visits from family members, access to the prison library, and leisure activities like painting and music were some advantages a prisoner could gain. 
  • When prison officials decided a prisoner no longer presented a threat and could obey the rules (typically after an average of five years on Alcatraz), he might be moved to another Federal prison to serve his term and be freed.
  • The island’s most notorious prisoner was probably Robert Stroud, the so-called “Birdman of Alcatraz,” who spent 54 years behind bars. Stroud never had any birds in Alcatraz, nor was he the grandfatherly figure portrayed in the well-known film by Burt Lancaster. 
  • Stroud was convicted of manslaughter in 1909, and while serving his term at the United States Penitentiary (USP), McNeil Island, Washington, he violently attacked another inmate. 
  • As a result, he was sent to USP Leavenworth in Kansas. He murdered a Leavenworth guard in 1916, was convicted of first-degree murder, and was sentenced to death. His mother begged for his life, and President Woodrow Wilson reduced his execution sentence to life in prison in 1920.
  • Stroud’s aggressive actions earned him months in solitary confinement. He became interested in birds throughout his 30 years at Leavenworth and finally authored two books about canaries and their illnesses. 
  • Initially, jail officials permitted Stroud’s bird studies because they saw it as a productive use of his time. However, contraband goods were frequently concealed in the bird cages, and prison officials learned that he had used equipment for his “scientific” investigations to build a still for “home-brew.” 
  • Stroud was sent to Alcatraz in 1942 and spent 17 years there (6 years in segregation in “D Block” and 11 years in the prison hospital). He was moved to Springfield, Missouri’s Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in 1959, where he died on November 21, 1963.

ESCAPE ATTEMPTS

  • During the 29-year operation of the Federal prison (1934-1963), 36 individuals (including two who tried to escape twice) were involved in 14 known escape attempts. Of them, 23 were apprehended, six were shot and died while fleeing, and two drowned. 
  • Two of those caught were later executed inside the California State Prison gas chamber in San Quentin for their participation in killing a correctional officer during the famous “Battle of Alcatraz” escape attempt on May 2-4, 1946.
  • The notion of “successful escape” determines whether or not someone succeeded in escaping from Alcatraz. Officially, no one has ever escaped from Alcatraz, yet five convicts are still classified as “lost and believed drowned.”
  • One of the numerous misconceptions surrounding Alcatraz is that swimming from the island to the mainland was difficult due to sharks. 
  • San Francisco Bay contains no “man-eating” sharks, just tiny bottom-feeding sharks. The primary challenges were:
    • Low weather temperatures (averaging 50-55 °F).
    • Strong currents.
    • The distance to the shore (at least 1-1/4 mile). 
  • An adolescent girl swam to the island to prove it was feasible before the Federal institution opened in 1934. Fitness expert Jack LaLanne once swam to the island while rowing a rowboat, and two 10-year-old youngsters did the same years ago.
  • It is feasible to endure the chilly waters and rapid currents if a person is well-trained and conditioned. However, inmates with no control over their nutrition, no weightlifting or physical training (other than situps and pushups), and no understanding of high and low tides had limited chances of success.

PRISON CLOSURE

  • After 29 years of service, USP Alcatraz was closed on March 21, 1963. It closed not because of Morris and the Anglins’ disappearance (the decision to close the jail was taken long before the three disappeared) but because the facility was too expensive to operate. 
  • An estimated $3-5 million in restoration and maintenance work was required to keep the jail operating. 
  • That number did not include daily running expenditures, which were approximately three times more at Alcatraz than at any other Federal prison (the daily per capita cost at Alcatraz was $10.10 in 1959, compared to $3.00 at USP Atlanta). 
  • The island’s physical isolation, a reason why islands have been utilized as prisons throughout history, was tremendously costly.
  • Because of the remoteness, everything (food, supplies, water, gasoline, etc.) had to be carried to Alcatraz by boat. 
  • For example, because the island had no fresh water supply, roughly one million gallons of water had to be barged to the island every week. 
  • The federal government determined that building a new institution was more cost-effective than keeping Alcatraz open.

Alcatraz Island Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Alcatraz Island across 29 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Alcatraz Island. From 1934 until 1963, Alcatraz Island, a federal prison in San Francisco Bay, was home to some of the most challenging and dangerous criminals in the United States.

Alcatraz Island Worksheets
Alcatraz Island Worksheets
Alcatraz Island Worksheets

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Alcatraz Island Facts
  2. Catch the Inmate!
  3. Do you Remember?
  4. Escaping Alcatraz
  5. The Alcatraz Birdman
  6. Through the Years
  7. Prison Escape
  8. Final Thoughts
  9. Island Tour
  10. Appearances
  11. Tourist Brochure

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Alcatraz Island?

Alcatraz Island is a small island located in San Francisco Bay. It is famous for its former prison, which operated from 1934 to 1963 and housed some of the most notorious criminals in American history.

Why was Alcatraz Island chosen for a prison?

Alcatraz Island was chosen as the site for a prison because of its isolated location, which made it difficult for prisoners to escape. Additionally, the strong currents of San Francisco Bay made it nearly impossible for swimmers to reach the mainland.

What were some of the most famous prisoners at Alcatraz?

Some of the most famous prisoners at Alcatraz include Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Robert Stroud, also known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz.”

When did Alcatraz become a national park?

Alcatraz Island became a national park in 1972. Today, visitors can tour the former prison and learn about its history, as well as enjoy the island’s natural beauty and wildlife.

Why did the Alcatraz prison close?

The Alcatraz prison closed in 1963 due to high operating costs and deteriorating facilities. Additionally, the prison had become outdated in terms of its security measures, and there were concerns about the mental health of the inmates due to the harsh living conditions.

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Link will appear as Alcatraz Island Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 9, 2023

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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