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Alcatraz Island

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By LVM


Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) offshore from San Francisco, California.  Often referred to as The Rock, the small island early-on served as a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a federal prison until 1963.

Later, in 1972, Alcatraz became a national recreation area and received landmarking designations in 1976 and 1986.

Today, the island is a historic site operated by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is open to tours.

Visitors can reach the island by ferry ride from Pier 33, near Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. Alcatraz has been featured in many movies, TV shows, cartoons, books, comics, and games.


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DiamondRN profile image

DiamondRN  says:
2 months ago

I saw Alcatraz for the first time when I was returning from Vietnam in 1968. It's amazing how recognizable it is from the air.

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Alcatraz Island (sometimes informally referred to as simply Alcatraz or by its pop-culture name, The Rock) is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California, United States. It served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal prison until 1963, when it became a national recreation area. Today, the island is a historic site supervised by the National Park Service as part of the [...]

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Alcatraz Island in the News

  • Permanent departure point for trips to Alcatraz soughtThe San Francisco Examiner4 days ago

    The departure point for the more than 1 million people visiting Alcatraz every year is searching for a future home, and the location on the San Francisco waterfront that is selected will also house a new history center and vendors. Cruises to the island have departed from Pier 31½, at the...

  • Days Gone By: Ironclad ship deal goes sour in San FranciscoWalnut Creek Journal3 days ago

    IT WAS a great day in San Francisco when the ship Aquila entered the Bay with a precious cargo in its hull. It was Nov. 10, 1863. It wouldn't be long before the Bay would be protected by an ironclad ship, the first on the Pacific Coast.

  • San Francisco's Halloween treats - Night tours at Alcatraz, 'Shocktoberfest,' the Winchester Mystery House and Day of the Dead add up to a frightfully good time in the Bay Area. - By Mariella Krause - October 25, 2009 - Reporting from San Francisco - San Francisco's fog doesn't creep in on little cat feet. It rolls in boldly and aggressively, as if the assistant director on a horror flick has just yelled, "Cue the fog!" Chilling even on a sunny summer day, [...] - http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/topofthetimes/features/la-tr-sfhalloween25-2009oct25,0,1294695.story
  • At Angel Island, the walls do talk about the experience of immigrants - By Christina Talcott - Washington Post - Updated: 10/23/2009 09:57:12 AM CDT - I am distressed that we Chinese are in this wooden building ... / - I should regret my taking the risks of coming in the first place. Carved on the walls at the Immigration Station on Angel Island are hundreds of poems like this one, etched into the wood by Chinese immigrants waiting for permission to enter [...] - http://www.twincities.com/travel/ci_13619752?source=rss&nclick_check=1
  • New ranger plans to be part of the community - By Rick Myers - Staff Reporter - PUblished: Saturday, October 24, 2009 9:07 PM CDt - A.J. Legault, the new enforcement ranger at Scotts Bluff National Monument, says he is looking forward to getting involved of all facets of community life. After a few years in the San Francisco area working at Golden Gate, Alcatraz Island, Muir Woods, The Presidio of San Francisco, [...] - http://www.starherald.com/articles/2009/10/28/news/local_news/doc4ae3b1c3ded6d462680265.txt

 


References

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Island

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