Alcatraz Island

1:3500 scale miniature paper model, about 5.75 inches long

Named by Spanish explorers "La Isla de los Alcatraces" for its pelicans, this barren island was claimed by the American government in 1853 as a strategic position to guard San Francisco Bay's entrance. The military prison at the fort became a federal penitentiary in 1934, a reputedly inescapable lockup for the most troublesome prisoners such as mobsters Al Capone and "Machine Gun" Kelly. Closed down in 1963, the abandoned site was later occupied by Native American activists as a protest against government policies. The island is now preserved as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Read more:

• National Park Service history of Alcatraz and ticket info for visiting
• Alcatraz History features photos and tales of life at the prison
• The island has been the setting for many dramatic films such as Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Escape from Alcatraz (1972), and The Rock (1996)
• A large 1:87 scale model of Alcatraz is on display at the Alcatraz Cruises ticketing area on Pier 33
• A visitor to Alcatraz questions prison tourism
• The 1969 occupation galvanized the Native American civil rights movement
• Alcatraz: A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years, by Michael Esslinger, Ocean View Publishing (2011)
• Al Capone Does My Shirts (Tales from Alcatraz), by Gennifer Choldenko, Puffin Books (2006)

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