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The History
& Hauntings of Alcatraz |
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After the Civil War, Confederate sympathizers
caught celebrating the death of President Lincoln were sent to
Alcatraz
along with other military convicts and various malcontents of society.
It was also after the war that thousands of emigrants began to flood to
the west, creating the
Indian Wars
of the late 1800’s. At this time,
Indians
were often utilized by the cavalry as scouts and those convicted of mutiny
or other crimes, were sent to
Alcatraz,
housed side by side with some of the worst murderers, rapists and
criminals in the West. Other
Native
Americans who thwarted the U.S. Government were also sent to the
“Rock. The first
Native
American to be sent to
Alcatraz
was a man named Paiute Tom, who was transferred from Camp McDermit in
Nebraska on June 5, 1873. Two days later, he was shot and killed by
a guard. The reason for the transfer and the killing have been lost
in history.
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Hopi inmates at
Alcatraz Island
pictured in front of the
original lighthouse. Photo courtesy
Mennonite Library
and Archives, Bethel College, North
Newton, Kansas
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Later that same year,
two Modoc
Indians by the names of Barncho and Sloluck were sent to
Alcatraz.
Arrested for participating in the murder of members of a peace
commission during the Modoc Wars of northeastern
California,
they had been sentenced to hang, along with four other Modoc
Indians. Convicted at Fort Klamath,
Oregon
,
President Ulysses S. Grant spared the two because of their youth and
sent them to
Alcatraz.
While at
Alcatraz, Barncho died of tuberculosis, but Sloluck was released
in February, 1878 and joined the remaining members of his tribe exiled
in Indian Territory.
Other
Native Americans, accused of mutiny,
Indian campaigns against the army, or escapees from other prisons
were also sent to
Alcatraz.
One such prisoner, Chief Kaetena, a compatriot of
Geronimo,
was sent to
Alcatraz after battling against
General George Crook's
army. After having spent two years on the rock, he was released
in March of 1886, at which time
Crook
wrote, "His stay on
Alcatraz
has worked a complete reformation in his character."
In January 1895, the
largest number of American
Indians were sent to
Alcatraz
from northern
Arizona.
Nineteen Hopi
leaders, who had been involved in land disputes with the government
and refused to comply with mandatory government education programs for
their children, were severely punished by sending them to the “Rock.”
A San Francisco newspaper of the time, The Call, stated the
Hopis "have
been rudely snatched from the bosom of their families and are
prisoners . . . until they have learned to appreciate the advantage of
education.” Only after the Hopis had pledged to "cease
interference with the plans of the government for the civilization and
education of its
Indian wards," were they released.
Throughout the late
1800’s, the prison complex housed an average of 100 men. During
this time, the old cannons were gradually removed and by 1891, only
seven remained.
During the
Spanish-American War of 1898, thousands of troops passed through San
Francisco on their way to or returning from the Philippines.
Upon their return, many of the soldiers brought back tropical
contagious diseases and San Francisco’s hospitals filled. Many
of these soldiers returned as prisoners and
Alcatraz's
hospital was also packed with men who had contracted diseases, a
number of which died of their illnesses. During this time, four
prisoners tried to paddle their way to the mainland on a butter vat,
only to be returned to the island along the strong currents.
By the turn of the century, the prison’s
population had swelled to more than 400 and another prison complex was
hastily built on the parade ground. Called the Upper Prison, it
consisted of three wooden cell houses with two tiers each, surrounded
by a stockade fence. Over the next several years, additional support
buildings were added to the Upper Prison and the Lower Prison was
converted into workshops for prison labor. |
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:Lower prison at
Alcatraz.
Photo courtesy Mennonite Library
and Archives, Bethel College, North
Newton, Kansas
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Both the Upper and
Lower Prisons were firetraps, and in 1902, an oil lantern fire almost
destroyed the Lower Prison. In 1906, when the earthquake hit San
Francisco, burning much of the city, officials evacuated 176 city
prisoners to
Alcatraz for nine days. Recognizing the fire hazards of
Alcatraz,
new concrete barracks were soon built by prison labor.
Alcatraz Military Prison
(1907-1934)
As the ships of the U.S. military became more
and more powerful, the defensive purposes of
Alcatraz
became obsolete. In 1907,
Alcatraz
was re-designated as the "Pacific Branch, U.S. Military Prison” and prison
guards replaced infantry soldiers.
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New projects soon began
to accommodate the many military prisoners and during World War I, the
prison housed German prisoners of war. The upper citadel was torn
down and a huge cell house was built over the citadel basement and moat.
The new cell house, completed in 1912, was the largest reinforced concrete
building in the world at the time, containing four cellblocks with a total
of 600 cells, each with a toilet and electricity.
In 1915, the island was
re-named the "Pacific Branch, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks" and a new
emphasis was put on education and rehabilitation. Those convicted men with
less serious offences soon began to attend military training, remedial
education, and vocational training. The plan was so successful, that many
of the soldiers were restored to active duty after their sentences were
served. Prisoners with more serious offences were not give these
opportunities and were dishonorably discharged from the Army after having
served their terms.
As a disciplinary
barracks,
Alcatraz was a minimum security prison and most prisoners were locked
in their cells only at night. During the day, they spent their time
in classes or work activities. Throughout these years, several
inmates tried to escape the island by boarding boats heading to the
mainland, swimming, or clinging to wooden objects. Driftwood was
used for escape attempts in 1912, 1916, 1927 and a ladder was used during
an escape attempt in 1929. Most of those who attempted escape through the
water never made it to shore. Of those who tried, some were rescued
and returned to the island, but others drowned.
The most successful
escape was on November 28, 1918 when four prisoners managed to escape with
rafts. The authorities assumed they had drowned in San Francisco Bay, but
they later appeared in Sutro Forest. Only one of them was recaptured.
As a Military Prison,
there were at least 80 men who attempted to escape in 29 separate
attempts. Of those, 62 were captured and returned to the prison, one
may have drowned and the fate of 17 others were unknown.
By 1933, the army decided
that the island was too expensive to operate. Its location was the
biggest problem, with the high costs of importing water, food and
supplies.
At this time, the
gangster era was in full swing, brought on by the desperate need of the
great depression, combined with Prohibition. The nation’s cities
were witnessing terrible violence as shoot-outs and public slayings became
frequent when mobster’s took control. The ill-equipped law
enforcement agencies were often bought off by the gangsters or cowered
before the better-armed gangs of nattily dressed men.
Simultaneously, the existing prisons were experiencing a number of
escapes, rioting and gang-related murders.
Alcatraz
was the ideal solution to the problem and J. Edgar Hoover jumped on the
opportunity to create a “super-prison” that would instill fear in the
minds of would-be criminals, offered no means of escape, and a place where
inmates could be safely controlled. Negotiations soon began and
Alcatraz
was transferred to the Bureau of Prisons in October 1933.
By the early part of 1934, eighty years of
U.S. Army occupation ended. With the exception of 32 hard case
prisoners, who were to remain on the island and incarcerated in the “new”
prison when it was completed, the others were transferred to
Fort
Leavenworth,
Kansas and
Fort Jay, New Jersey.
Continued Next
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Alcatraz Military Prison,
courtesy National Park Service
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