As one of America's most notorious prisons, Alcatraz has been a significant part of California's history for over 155 years. The small, lonely rock, known in sea charts by its Spanish name "Isla de los Alcatraces," or "Island of Pelicans," lay essentially dormant until the 1850s, when the military converted the island into a fortress to protect the booming San Francisco region. Alcatraz served as a pivotal military position until the early 20th century and in 1934 was converted into a federal penitentiary to house some of America's most incorrigible prisoners. The penitentiary closed in 1963, and Alcatraz joined the National Park Service system in 1972. Since then, it has remained a popular attraction as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

ALCATRAZ: the name alone said it all... It was meant to send a shudder down the spines of the nation's most incorrigible criminals. It stripped Al Capone of his power. It tamed "Machine Gun" Kelly into a model of decorum. It took the birds away from the Birdman of Alcatraz.This mammoth reference navigates the island's history through rarely seen documents, interviews and hundreds of pages of historic photographs. Author interviews range from men such as legendary FBI fugitive James Whitey Bulger; Dale Stamphill, a principle in the 1938 escape with Doc Barker and Henry Young; to Atom Spy Morton Sobell, the co-defendant of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Michael Esslinger thoroughly details the prominent events, inmates, and life inside the most infamous prison in American History. His research included hundreds of hours examining actual Alcatraz inmate case files (including rare original documents from Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and over a hundred others) exploring the prison grounds from the rooftop to the waterfront to help retrace events, escape routes, in addition to conducting various interviews with former inmates and guards. His study has resulted in detailed accounts of all the recorded escape attempts including the Battle of Alcatraz. A detailed account of the 1962 escape of Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers provides rare insight extracted through photos, and over 1,700 pages of FBI and Bureau of Prisons investigative notes. Detailed narratives of Alcatraz's most notable inmates who include Robert Stroud (Birdman of Alcatraz), Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, Frank Morris, the Anglin Brothers, Doc Barker, Joe Cretzer, Bernard Coy, Miran Thompson, Sam Shockley, and many-many others. Alcatraz: A History of the Penitentiary Years, is a comprehensive reference on the history of Alcatraz and contains one of the most comprehensive archives of inmate and prison life photographs (over 1,000).

This book traces the intriguing history of Alcatraz Island, located off the coast of San Francisco, from the earliest years of Spanish exploration to the present day. Highlighting the unique geographical features of the island, it shows how Alcatraz went through many changes, being used over the years as a military facility, a notorious federal prison widely believed to be escape-proof, as well as the site of American Indian uprisings.

As one of America's most notorious prisons, Alcatraz has been a significant part of California's history since 1853. The small island known in sea charts by its Spanish name Isla de los Alcatraces or Island of Pelicans laid essentially dormant until the 1850s, when the US military converted the island into a fortress to protect the booming San Francisco region. Alcatraz served as a pivotal military position until the early 20th century and in 1934 was converted into a federal penitentiary to house some of America's most incorrigible prisoners. The penitentiary closed in 1963, and Alcatraz joined the National Park Service system in 1972. Since then, it has remained one of the Bay Area's most popular attractions as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Gregory L. Wellman, a California-based consultant, reveals in these images the evolution of Alcatraz. The island's startling transformation comes alive through the photographic collections of the Alcatraz Alumni Association, the Golden Gate National Archives, and other private collections from around the country. This stirring imagery documents the evolution of one of America's most renowned and memorable landmarks.

In words and photographs, this book captures the most famous -- or infamous -- aspect of the island's history, its years as a maximum-security federal penitentiary. Called variously "Uncle Sam's Devil's Island, " "Hellcatraz, " and other fearsome names, Alcatraz had a reputation among convicts as the prison of last resort.

The Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was a nearly escape-proof prison located on a small island in San Francisco Bay. America’s most dangerous criminals were imprisoned there and endured harsh conditions, including solitary confinement in dark cells. Though the penitentiary was shut down in 1963, visitors have reported hearing mysterious cries from empty cells and seeing ghostly figures that suddenly vanished! Have the troubled spirits of former inmates been sentenced to haunt Alcatraz forever? An exciting narrative format brings the hair-raising history of Alcatraz to life, while providing plenty of creepy details to satisfy young horror fans. Chilling photos and clear, age-appropriate text will keep readers turning the pages to learn more about Alcatraz’s spooky prison.