| What is it? |
Alcatraz is an island in the San Francisco Bay that has served as a Native American gathering site, US military outpost, and federal penitentiary! |
| What makes it historical? |
Most people know Alcatraz as the inescapable prison that housed the likes of Al Capone, the “Bird Man,” and “Machine Gun” Kelly; however, this period of Alcatraz’s history was only 29 years long! Before that, it was an important US military outpost during the gold rush; America suddenly had a major boom of wealth that needed protecting from foreign incursion; luckily, no such incursion took place! It was originally just a barren island that Spanish explorers named “La Isla de las Alcatraces” for the many gannets that lived there, whose eggs were probably harvested by native peoples since time immemorial!
On that note, many rebellious Native Americans were brought to Alcatraz for resisting the occupation of their land or the taking of their children to be schooled “civilly.” Many years later, in 1964 and 1969, more Native Americans, whose tribes were being dissolved by federal policy, laid claim to the island, staging the most successful Native American protest in history and launching a new political movement of Native American dignity and pride! Their graffiti is still there and is actually re-painted regularly because it has been deemed historic! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? |
HERE’S HOW:
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Volunteer at Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy!
- Donate to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
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| Where is this place? |
Boats to Alcatraz leave from Pier 33:
1398 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94133
From Los Angeles: ~381mi (614km) — 6.4hrs
From Sacramento: ~87mi (141km) — 1.5hrs
From San Diego: ~502mi (808km) — 8.4hrs
From San Francisco: ~3mi (5km) — 0.1hrs |
| When should I go? |
Boats head to Alcatraz year-round, primarily between the hours of 8:45 AM and 1:35 PM, departing roughly every half an hour! Naturally, I would recommend going in the fall or winter; in my experience, the crowds are every so slightly smaller! |
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