Island in San Francisco Bay 9 letters.
The city of San Francisco is one of the largest cities in the USA. It is located on a peninsula between the bay of the same name and the Pacific Ocean. This is a real pearl of California, attracting tourists from all over the world due to its beautiful nature and rich history, starting long before the Gold Rush. This is a multifaceted city with contrasts and color. Let's go virtual trip to California and get to know the sights of San Francisco.
City `s history
San Francisco has a fascinating history. It began in 1776, when travelers from Spain landed on the Pacific coast. It was they who wrote the first pages in the history of the city of San Francisco. The Spanish preacher founded the Mission of St. Francis of Assisi, after whom the city was named. The Spaniards built a fort called the Golden Gate. At the beginning of the 19th century, gold deposits were found in what is now California, which was considered Mexican at that time. A stream of gold miners poured into the open deposits. A settlement was founded with what is now Portsmouth Square and the first street called Calle de la Fundación (Founder's Street).
William Richardson, the first land grantee, built his home on the hill where the city of San Francisco is now located. Along Grant Avenue between Clay and Washington streets the first residence was established. The settlement turned into a city, which was named Yerba Buena, which is translated from Spanish means "good grass".
This small town was not given much importance, but the situation changed when it was discovered Goldmine. In 1848, during the Gold Rush, Yerba Buena was conquered by the Americans and later became known as San Francisco. He became the most big city Pacific coast. This is the history of the name of the city of San Francisco. True, except for yours official name, it is called the “city by the bay” and the “city of fogs.” The city received its second nickname because of the strong summer fogs that descend on the city, when hot air currents from the central part of the continent collide with cold ones brought from the Pacific Ocean.
Geographical position
To the features geographical location The city should be attributed to the fact that it is surrounded on three sides by water. The leading role in the transport infrastructure is played by the bridges: the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge, which connects San Francisco with Oakland. Geographical coordinates city of San Francisco: 37°46'29" north latitude and 122°25'9" west longitude.
What is the city like now? San Francisco has developed commercial shipping and tourism businesses, a huge service sector and largest centers production of high IT technologies. The city is a symbol of the Hollywood industry. There is hardly a day in the city when some film is not being filmed on its streets, which residents are already accustomed to, and tourists are interested in seeing how Hollywood actors work.
By the way, the current population of the city of San Francisco is about 815,000 residents. Due to this indicator, the city ranks fourteenth in the United States in terms of population.
Climate
The terrain in which San Francisco is located is hilly. The water surrounding the city greatly influences weather. Among major cities In the United States, the climate in San Francisco is considered the coolest and at the same time the most comfortable. The city has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters, warm summers, and slight temperature fluctuations throughout the year.
The coldest month is January. The temperature at this time in San Francisco does not fall below +8 °C. September is considered hot with temperature fluctuations of +13...+21 °C. IN summer months almost no rain, but frequent rain from November to April. Almost no snow falls.
Hills of San Francisco
The city of San Francisco is located on 74 hills (allegedly), of which 47 are named. Seven important San Francisco hills at 900 feet: Telegraph Hill, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Rincon Hill, Mount Sutro, Twin Peaks, Gemini at the top 910 feet (277 m) and Mount Davidson at 925 feet (283 m). The remaining hills are lower in height. Roads in San Francisco go up and down hills. Some of the roads are extremely steep. For safety, the city of San Francisco has strict parking laws to prevent cars from rolling into the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean!
One of the city's landmarks is Lombard Street, the most winding street in the world, designed and laid out in the 1920s. It is located on Russian Hill. Its slope is 27%, and at 400 meters of the road it is 8 sharp turns. Cars on this unique road move at low speeds, only 8 km/h. Visitors say that there is nothing more fun than riding along these steep curves.
Neighborhoods of San Francisco
The city's area is just over 46 square miles, which is approximately 120 square miles. kilometers. Occupying the square tip of the peninsula (11 x 11 km), San Francisco is divided into several districts, each of which is interesting with its own flavor. A map consisting of 11 official districts has been developed for tourists.
The Mission District can be considered the most hipster area. The area is historically Latino. Their culture is the lifeblood of this area. Street art thrives here. As already mentioned, the city of San Francisco (photos of which are in this article) has many faces and is unique. Each house in the area has its own “face”.
In the evenings the main street The Valencia area is full of fun-loving, stylish young people. Residents like to spend weekends in Dolores Park. Mission Dolores is one of San Francisco's most popular parks. Its football fields, tennis courts and playground are almost always filled with city dwellers who enjoy the outdoors.
The Haight-Ashbury area became famous for the fact that hippies came to it from all over the country in 1967 and everything that was associated with this movement came from here: sex, drugs, music, art, freedom...
If you're heading to San Francisco, don't forget to wear some flowers in your hair.
The words from Scott McKenzie's famous song, which has been the unofficial anthem of San Francisco for almost 50 years, personify this city as the capital of the hippie movement and progressive youth.
For tourists interested in vintage clothing, there are many shops in the area where you can buy them. There are small shops selling books and musical accessories: from sheet music to instruments.
Castro is an open gay quarter of the world and synonymous with LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) culture can only be found in the USA in the city of San Francisco. Everything in the quarter is painted in rainbow colors: passages, shop windows, flags on the streets. Historical Center The LGBT community reflects a vibrant area popular with young families, tech workers, and the arts community.
People are accepted here for who they are - gay, bisexual, transgender... The area is filled with popular boutiques, bars and restaurants that attract a wide range of visitors. There are many nudist beaches in the area. Nudists are mostly men of all ages.
Popular place in San Francisco - Chinatown
The largest and most famous among Chinatowns in the USA is located in San Francisco's Chinatown. It is home to the largest Chinese community outside of Asia. It arose in the mid-nineteenth century, from those who arrived from Chinese province Guangdong immigrants. The Chinese, wherever they came, always organized a “city within a city.” Once in this area, tourists feel the presence of Asia: shops with inscriptions in Cantonese, most buildings have pagoda-shaped roofs, all the lamp posts are decorated with dragons, and the streets are decorated with lanterns. There are many cafes and delicious Chinese restaurants where they serve fortune cookies with the bill.
Today's Chinatown was rebuilt after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and its architecture is an odd mix of Edwardian foundations and Chinese details. Traditionally believed to provide protection, a pair of Chinese guardian lions are a common sight in front of Chinese imperial palaces, government offices and temples. The gate has three entrances. The central one is intended for high-ranking persons, and the other two - located on either side of the central one - are intended for ordinary people.
On the territory of the quarter there is cultural places for visiting tourists: Museum of the Chinese Historical Society of America and the Chinese Cultural Center.
Oldest street in San Francisco
Grant Avenue is considered the oldest street in San Francisco, which runs from north to south, being the central axis of the tourist Chinese district. This is the area that is literally overflowing with tourists, scurrying around the kitschy shops and authentic Chinese restaurants. An overview of the entire street is a long story, not on one page, but it’s worth paying attention to several noticeable places on a busy street. Symbolizing proximity to paradise, most of the temples are located in Chinatown in the upper floors of townhouses. The oldest Chinese temple in America, Tin Hau, is also located on Grand Avenue. It was founded in 1852. On the corner of Grand Avenue and Commerce Street are several beautifully hand-decorated murals featuring Bruce Lee and a mural of Buddha. On another wall there are also murals of dancing dragons and the imposing Golden Dragon. What Grand Avenue in San Francisco looks like today is in the photo below.
Tourism
The Bay City continues to grow, welcoming thousands of new residents from around the world each year. It truly is a vibrant, diverse and welcoming place to live in America. The city of San Francisco has an extremely low unemployment rate. Tourism is considered one of the main sectors of the economy of this metropolis, so you can always get a job in the tourism business.
What attracts tourists to San Francisco? Most likely, not only historical sights, but also a favorable mild climate, the uniqueness and originality of the city. More than 17,000,000 tourists come here for excursions and recreation. San Francisco ranks fifth in the United States for foreign arrivals.
The city is known for its iconic landmarks, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge, and restaurants serving unique cuisine in different areas of the city. A healthy balance of consistently mild weather, large quantity green spaces throughout the city continue to make it one of the most popular and picturesque cities in the state of California. San Francisco invites tourists to visit Fort Point, an ideal place for history buffs, as well as Golden Gate Park. You can attend the annual free Bluegrass Festival there if your visit to San Francisco coincides with the festival. In the park you can ride an ancient carousel and even see a buffalo natural conditions life.
The city's attractions
San Francisco has a unique world symbol - the Golden Gate Bridge. It was considered the longest span bridge from its completion in 1937 until 1964. It connects San Francisco to Marin County and is a total of 3.2 km (2.7 miles). This is the most photographed bridge in the world.
The Golden Gate Bridge location is also within walking distance of many other tourist places, such as Fort Point, Fort Baker and Presidio.
There are places to go for those interested in historical and cultural values. These are museums and cultural centers. These include the Museum of Modern Arts, the Asian Art and Culture Center, the Jewish Community Center, and the Memorial Opera House.
In addition, in the Mission District you can spend hours walking the streets and looking at painted buildings, visiting art studios, and visiting exhibition venues. The Dolores park area is always full of people. Moreover, it has recreation areas, conventionally divided into hipster, family and gay zones. Depending on the holiday season, Mission hosts carnivals (in May), large street fairs (in March), and also a parade in April in honor of Cesar Chavez.
Mysterious Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is considered one of the most visited tourist destinations in the port city of San Francisco. Why do travelers from all over the world try to get to the island? Perhaps this attraction is attractive due to its interesting, but rather dark history. And tourists come to the island to see for themselves what Alcatraz was like decades ago...
The history of the city of San Forancisco marks the construction of the first lighthouse in 1854 West Coast. And the place for it was determined on Alcatraz Island (translated from Spanish as “rock”) in San Francisco Bay in order to guide ships passing through the Golden Gate. But not only the lighthouse was built on the island. Government officials decided that the tiny island, aptly nicknamed “The Rock,” would be the ideal location for a federal penitentiary. Rocky Island washed by dangerous currents and extreme tides, so it was impossible to escape from this prison. The prison was home to some of the country's most notorious bad guys: Al Capone, George "Machine Gun" Kelly and "Birdman" Robert Stroud, a killer who was an expert in bird diseases.
During a tour of Alcatraz, tourists can see first-hand how grim life was for prisoners in solitary confinement. Alcatraz may seem ominous from the inside, but from the outside tourists enjoy dazzling views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, the lush surrounding marinas to the north and neighboring island Angel, also a California State Park.
San Francisco is one of the most iconic cities in the United States of America and, without a doubt, the most beautiful. The combination of geography, nature, architecture and its diverse and cosmopolitan composition makes San Francisco a world-class city.
In California, there is a district of San Francisco, whose center is the city of the same name. It received its name in honor of the Catholic Saint Francis of Assisi. The Spaniards appeared in these lands back in 1776. They built their fort here. The mission began to grow rapidly thanks to the gold rush of 1848. It was then that the city received its current name. It survived several serious earthquakes; in 1906, San Francisco was completely destroyed.
But today the city is recognized worldwide tourist center. Some of its attractions are known throughout the world: Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown. This city is so far from us that we don’t know very much about it, often content with rumors and myths. We will try to debunk them.
San Francisco is a big city. San Francisco is considered one of the most famous American cities. Therefore, it seems to occupy a large area, like other megacities. In fact, the actual dimensions of the central main body are 7 by 7 miles. The same portion of Chicago covers 234 square miles. The area of a city is often referred to as the area of its bay. The populated area itself occupies a small part.
The city has a nickname: San Fran. Locals They really don’t like it when their city is called that. They themselves do not use this abbreviation. An excellent and generally accepted alternative is the short "SF". San Francisco is also called the City by the Bay, simply the City. But Frisco is an outdated nickname, also already unfashionable and even somewhat offensive.
Millions of people live in the city. The city seems like a large metropolis; in fact, it is home to even less than a million people. As of 2013, San Francisco had 840 thousand inhabitants. This city is the 14th most populous city in the country. Even lesser-known cities like Austin, Phoenix and San Jose have more people living in them.
BART is the city's main transportation system. This system serves not only the city, but also the vast San Francisco Bay Area. The high-speed metro connects airports, working and medium-sized towns along the belt, and connects with the suburban railway. There are only eight stations directly in the city. Citizens themselves rely more on trams and buses to get between destinations. One of the tram's railway lines is above ground, with historical carriages running along it, and the second line is partially underground.
All townspeople get to work by cable car. There are only three lines cable car. The cabins on it are very similar to a tram. This is why San Francisco is associated with the cable car. Two routes run from north to south, and one from east to west. These routes are small. They do not provide passenger flow, but such trams are fun for tourists to ride.
It's always sunny and warm in San Francisco. The inhabitants of California are seen surrounded by palm trees, wearing shorts on the sand under the rays of the warm sun. The city's climate is influenced by the ocean, which surrounds San Francisco on three sides. The climate here is similar to the Mediterranean, the average temperature is 18 degrees, which is 10 degrees less than the neighboring continental one. The fact is that it is here that the Pacific Ocean is marked by cold currents. The highest temperature recorded here was only 39 degrees. And the average temperature in September is even lower than in Moscow. But cold water and warm land create the famous local fog, which envelops the city for several days in the summer.
Summer doesn't arrive here according to schedule. This myth originated with the phrase: “The coldest winter I ever experienced was in the summer in San Francisco.” It is mistakenly believed that Mark Twain said it. In summer it is really foggy, but in September-November it is quite warm. True, frost may fall in the evening. But citizens spend their free time in parks and lawns.
San Francisco is constantly shaken by major earthquakes. Large earthquakes are rare here. The most notable ones happened in 1906 and 1989. At the beginning of the 20th century, a natural disaster destroyed the entire city, and fires started after the flood. 75% of the residents were left homeless. Already in our century, the epicenter of the earthquake was located much further away. It was mainly the roads that were destroyed then; many even had to be demolished. Small earthquakes often occur in the city; there are several hundred of them per year. The intensity is usually as if a loaded dump truck had passed outside the window. However, most residents have an evacuation plan in case of a sudden disaster.
San Francisco is part of Silicon Valley. The entire San Francisco Bay Area is home to high-tech industries. However, Silicon Valley is the area south of San Francisco. This is where the headquarters of the most high-tech companies that emerged in the wake of the boom of the 1990s are located.
On weekends, San Franciscans travel to Los Angeles. This doesn't happen as often as it seems. Between the two most famous cities California is a full six hours away, and that's without traffic jams. This state is still quite large.
Only gays and hippies live in San Francisco. A wide variety of people live in the city. You shouldn't see passers-by as either a gay or a hippie. But they undoubtedly made a great contribution to shaping the image of the city and its utopian spirit. Today it is the most populated city in the world with sexual minorities. It is believed that every 7-10 residents are gay. The liberal city attracts sexual minorities from the conservative province. In addition, in the 1960s, San Francisco became a real center of the hippie revolution. Musical trends flourished here, free love reigned, and people used drugs. Much has changed since then; in the 1990s, dot-com companies came to the city, and there were many more white-collar workers. In general, the city is multifaceted, uniting different subcultures. The housing crisis has significantly affected the demographic makeup of San Francisco; today less than half of the population here is white.
Due to the hilly terrain, many city residents abandon their cars. This statement is only partly true. On the one hand, the accumulation of cars makes it difficult to clean the streets. And there are frequent cases of car robberies. In modern megacities, getting to a place by car will not always be faster than by car. public transport. And everything is fine with this service in San Francisco. True, the presence of a car among city residents is often justified by the opportunity to leave the metropolis for the weekend.
There are a lot of dogs in the city. It turns out that in 2012 there were really a lot of dogs in San Francisco - 120 thousand. This is even more than children under 18 years of age. There are about 105 thousand of them in San Francisco. It wasn’t always this way, it’s just that the city turned out to be expensive and inhospitable for many families who did not decide to have children here.
During the earthquake of 1906, martial law was declared. It is said that because of the looters, the authorities declared martial law, ordering soldiers to mercilessly shoot the looters. Then, allegedly, hundreds of robbers were killed. In fact, immediately after the disaster, the mayor of the city issued a proclamation in which in capital letters it was written about the execution on the spot of the looters. And the police and the army really got the right to do this. However, there were few reports of such murders, mostly indirect evidence. A total of five were accused of murder, but they were acquitted.
During the earthquake of 1906, many people died. Due to fires and destruction, according to police reports, 478 people died. That's how many bodies were found in the ruins. But just a few years later, speculation “rounded” this number to three thousand.
Residents immediately fell in love with the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge initially aroused hostility among San Francisco residents. Then it seemed to them that the structure would hopelessly disfigure the view of the strait. But life has shown the fallacy of this view. Now the Golden Gate Bridge has become a real symbol of San Francisco.
Coit Tower was built specifically for tourists. This tall building is one of the symbols of the city. The tower is located in Pioneer Park at the very top of Telegraph Hill. It really does have a great view of San Francisco. That is why the Coit Tower is a favorite place among tourists. But it was not originally built for them. The project was initiated by Lilly Hitchcock Coit in 1933. The eccentric lady acted as a volunteer assistant to the fire department. She had some kind of abnormal attraction to men in red uniforms. She went with them to the fire, treated them as a nurse, and paid tribute to the dead. According to her will, she left a large sum for the construction of a tower in the shape of the tip of a fire hose.
The waters of San Francisco Bay are infested with sharks. It is believed that it is the sharks swimming around Alcatraz Island that stop the prisoners from escaping. In fact, the bay is home to 11 known species of sharks. But they are small and do not pose a particular danger to people. However, great white sharks sometimes appear in the bay. Researchers tracking the paths of 179 of these predatory fish between 2000 and 2008 found that five of them deviated from their usual route and passed through the Golden Gate Strait. How long they remained in the bay is unknown. But these are isolated cases that you should not be afraid of.
The Golden Gate Bridge is painted every year. This bridge attracts a lot of attention. Some people think that it is painted annually, while others think that it is painted every seven years. In fact, the bridge has only been painted twice since its construction in 1937, both times for non-cosmetic purposes. It’s just that during the scheduled repairs the bridge was also painted. As necessary, some “bald spots” are periodically retouched.
In San Francisco, it is difficult for a professional employee to find a job. This city is one of the best for work. But there are not many qualified personnel here. It is worth remembering that the city is one of the centers of high technology. As a result, there are even more jobs than qualified employees. A vacuum is forming in the labor market. Companies literally use guerrilla methods in recruiting. In an attempt to attract the best, high cash bonuses are awarded.
In San Francisco, bars are open all night. People don’t walk here 24 hours a day; the fun ends at 2 am. The license allows alcohol sellers to trade until this time. In fact, visitors are denied service even earlier.
In San Francisco you can swim in the ocean. The usual ocean water temperature for the city is 12-14 degrees. That’s why, if they swim here, they only wear a swimming suit. A cold current from Alaska arrives at San Francisco. The local waters of the Pacific Ocean are cold to swim in, even in summer. It's good to walk near the ocean, but don't forget a warm sweater.
All citizens have progressive thinking. Many African Americans moved to the city from Oakland. Today, even in the very center of San Francisco, you can find homeless people. They became a real problem in the 1980s. Many programs were undertaken, but the problem was never completely solved. So it’s not just educated white-collar workers who live here.
To settle down in San Francisco, you need to lead an alternative way of life. There are a lot of things about San Francisco that annoy ordinary people. But in Lately lovers of alternative lifestyles have moved to the north or east of the Bay Area. Anyone can find themselves in the city, no matter what religion, artistic style, or sexual orientation they adhere to.
Only rich people can afford to live in San Francisco. Housing here is not cheap, but it is affordable for people with good jobs. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,885 and for a two-bedroom apartment is $2,358.
It's hard to make new friends in San Francisco. They say that a person here is forced to constantly be in a large group of people close in status. But meeting someone new here is much easier than anywhere else in California. The city provides many opportunities for self-realization. Why not visit an art exhibition or take part in a marathon? You can certainly meet extraordinary people there.
The city lives on high technology. San Francisco's budget is based on tourism. The city is often shown in films and is mentioned in music and pop culture. So guests come here to touch the legendary places. Among all American cities, San Francisco is the fifth most visited. Every year about 15 million tourists come here, who leave 7.5 billion dollars here.
There are many large enterprises in the city. 85% of all companies in the city have a staff of no more than 10 people. Since 1977, the number of giants with a thousand or more employees has halved. There are no large supermarkets here - the city gives a chance to prove itself to small businesses, which provide the majority of the income to the treasury. The mayor's office even imposed restrictions on the construction of supermarkets in certain areas, and residents supported this decision.
San Francisco Bay was opened only in 1769 and plays a special role in the life of the city. San Francisco was founded by the Spaniards just 7 years after the opening of the bay - in 1776 they built a fort near the Golden Gate Strait and founded a mission named after St. Francis. The city began to grow rapidly in the mid-19th century thanks to the California Gold Rush, and in 1848 it was renamed San Francisco. Since then, over the course of a century and a half, optimists, dreamers and romantics have been flocking here, striving for peace and the realization of some of their cherished dreams, rolling in like the waves of the famous Pacific fog. For a long time, San Francisco Bay, connected to the ocean by the Golden Gate Strait, has been the beginning of a new life for many. Please note that the name Golden Gate is not accidental - when the gold rush began in California in 1848, this strait became the gateway to many new life. Some were unlucky, but for others these gates truly became golden. And today, thousands of ships from many countries of the world sail through the Golden Gate Strait to San Francisco Bay and one of the largest ports on the US Pacific Coast, the port of Oakland.
1. Many pleasure boats go on boat trips along San Francisco Bay. Our mini-cruise will take place here.
2. All morning the city and the bay were covered with a dense veil of fog, but in the afternoon the milky veil retreated. Now the Golden Gate Bridge is clearly visible from the city's Fisherman's Wharf.
3. Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower and the city center are left behind...
4. Illuminated bright sun, harsh island Alcatraz doesn't look so gloomy and forbidding.
5. Having left the city piers, the ship sets off for the exit of the bay...
6. The shores of the Golden Gate Strait, connecting San Francisco Bay with the ocean, are connected by a suspension bridge, one of the largest, most beautiful and famous in the world.
7. On the shore of the strait, right next to the bridge, is Fort Point, one of the most outstanding defensive structures built on the Pacific coast. The fort was built in 1861 to protect San Francisco Bay from attack on one side and to protect ships carrying gold mined in California on the other. By the way, in the thirties, during the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, the fort was almost demolished.
8. Heading under the Golden Gate Bridge... This famous suspension bridge opened in 1937 and until 1964 was the largest suspension bridge in the world. The length of the central span of the bridge is 1280 meters, the total length of the bridge is 1970 meters, the height of the pylons is 230 meters. Now it is the ninth bridge in the world in terms of span length and, of course, perhaps the most legendary and recognizable!
11. Having passed under the bridge, we leave the bay for a short time into the ocean and make a U-turn. The ocean near San Francisco is cold, cold currents pass here, strong winds often blow, and fog comes to the city from here... And ocean waves long, and barely leaving the bay, our boat begins to rock decently...
12. We turn around and head back, again passing under the Golden Gate Bridge.
14. The Golden Gate, as always shrouded in fog, remains behind...
16. Our boat is heading to Alcatraz Island, where from 1934 to 1963 there was a federal maximum security prison. But more on this separately...
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In 1775, Spanish explorer Lieutenant Juan Manuel de Ayala mapped a small island, which he named Isla de Las Alcatraces - Island of the Pelicans, due to the huge population of these birds that nested here. He could not even imagine that this island would go down in history as the worst prison in the United States. Many people are familiar with Alcatraz thanks to the films “Escape from Alcatraz” with Clint Eastwood and “The Rock” with Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, but not everyone knows that the island has a very rich and amazing history.
From Pelican Island to Military Prison
1848 Gold was discovered near the town of San Francisco. The news of this discovery quickly spread throughout the country, and thousands of people poured into California. In a few years, the population of San Francisco increased from 300 people to 300 thousand. Prospectors arrived both by land and sea. Suddenly the city found itself in the spotlight of the whole world. The young state of California needed protection from the sea, and the choice fell on Alcatraz Island. It turned out to be an ideal location - just one mile from the city, from here all the ships trying to dock in San Francisco harbor were perfectly visible. In 1854, the first defensive structures were built here and 11 cannons were installed (later there would be more than a hundred). From this time began the history of Alcatraz, the most fortified fort west of the Mississippi River, as they said then. In general, throughout history Alcatraz has been a fort, a fortress, and a prison for war criminals, but the most dramatic and interesting events still occurred in the 20th century.
The most legendary prison in the USA
America of the 30s. Crime is rampant, newspapers are full of reports about regular gangster wars, kidnappings, and raids on banks. The police are powerless, and what can we talk about if the gangsters are much better armed and organized, and the police in small towns sometimes don’t even have enough weapons for everyone. At the same time, the Alcatraz military prison was living out its last days. The money allocated from the budget is sorely lacking; food and water have to be delivered here from San Francisco, and this is an extra expense. The military was just about to close Alcatraz when they received a proposal from the Ministry of Justice to transfer the prison to them. The fact is that the police and the FBI have long been looking for a place where they could set up a prison completely isolated from the outside world, and Alcatraz was ideal for these purposes. On the one hand, it is located next to a large city, it is clearly visible from everywhere and can serve as a warning to possible criminals, and on the other hand, it is completely isolated, it is impossible to approach it unnoticed and it is almost impossible to escape from here. So the fortress of times Civil War turned into the most guarded and impregnable prison for especially dangerous criminals. Before the “guests” began to arrive here, some changes were made here - new locks were installed, the bars on the cells were replaced and strengthened, special galleries were made for armed guards (the guards walked along the corridor between the cells without keys or weapons to exclude the possibility of an attack), special metal detectors and some other innovations were installed. In August 1934, Alcatraz was completely ready to receive “guests”. The new prison was supposed to contain the most dangerous, most “famous” criminals. There was no intention of re-educating them here - it was useless; in prison, in the literal sense of the word, they had to serve their sentence. Prisoners here had the right to only four things - food, clothing, shelter and medical care. Everything else was called privileges, and they had to be earned by exemplary behavior and obedience. At the same time, the slightest violation of the regime was strictly punished: from deprivation of privileges to placement in a terrible “dark cell” - a kind of concrete well in which it was very cold, cramped and there was no light at all. Here a prisoner could be kept for several days or several months, depending on the severity of the offense. Today, visitors to Alcatraz can see these stone bags with their own eyes and try to imagine how people could exist there. Just the sight of it gives you goosebumps: No wonder the prisoners nicknamed Alcatraz - Hellcatraz, from the English word hell - hell.
At first, prisoners were even forbidden to talk; exceptions were made only during meals or during a walk (if it was allowed). Visitors, parcels and mail were an incredible privilege, and prisoners received letters typewritten to eliminate the possibility of transmitting encrypted messages. And the biggest privilege was work, which was given to those who were especially obedient.
But the most surprising thing is that, along with all these restrictions, the prisoners had a luxurious library at their disposal, they were given cigarettes in abundance (to avoid speculation in tobacco), new films were shown, there was always plenty of hot water, tasty and varied food. And today, on the wall of the prison canteen, there is a menu - frankly speaking, not very “prison”.
But who was sitting here anyway? For whom was such a prison built?
Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and other inhabitants
In fact, despite numerous legends, not many “celebrities” visited Alcatraz. Of the 1,545 people serving their sentences here, only a few dozen, or even less, were known throughout the country. And, of course, one of the most famous was Al (Alphonse) Capone, the Man with the Scar, although he spent only a little over four years in this prison. The police hunted for him for a very long time, but could not catch him red-handed, and only a simple accountant was able to do it. Al Capone was behind bars for tax evasion! At first he was in Atlanta, but soon his “comrades in arms” settled around the prison, and he calmly led his group directly from prison. Here he acquired a whole army of prisoner servants, bribed the prison authorities, and visitors constantly came to him: In a word, he “sat and did not bother” until he ended up in Alcatraz, where he was one of the first to be transferred.
Another Alcatraz legend is Machine Gun George Kelly. He got his nickname because he always used a machine gun when robbing banks. He was responsible for bootlegging, murder, bank robberies, and even the kidnapping of an Oklahoma oil tycoon. Machine Gun Kelly received a life sentence and spent 17 years in Alcatraz, after which, for health reasons, he was transferred to another prison, where he soon died.
You can name a few more names: Alvin Karpis, the partner of the famous Ma Baker, whom J. Edgar Hoover called “public enemy number one,” and Robert Stroud, nicknamed the Ornithologist, who became especially famous after the release of the film “Birdman of Alcatraz.”
In 1909, Stroud was imprisoned for robbery. But while he was serving his sentence in a Washington prison, he attacked a fellow inmate. He was transferred to a Kansas prison. But in 1916, he killed a guard there, for which Stroud was sentenced to death. However, then then-President Wilson, at the request of Stroud’s mother, replaced the execution with a life sentence. In 1942 he was transferred to Alcatraz. There he began studying birds, which he had been interested in since childhood, and even wrote two books about canaries and common diseases among them. Seeing such keen scientific interest, the prison administration allowed Stroud to study birds in the wild. But Stroud did not betray himself, and items prohibited in prison were often found in bird cages. He spent only 17 years in Alcatraz - 6 years in "block D" and 11 years in the prison hospital. In 1959, he was sent to a federal prison facility in Springfield, Missouri, where he died in 1963. Photos of the most famous guests today can be seen on the walls in Alcatraz, and at the same time you can learn their stories.
Prison routine
While such famous criminals as Al Capone, George Machine Gun Kelly (Public Enemy N1), and Arthur Doc Barker spent time in Alcatraz, most of the 1,576 prisoners held there at various times were not famous gangsters. However, these were prisoners who refused to comply with the rules established in other federal prisons, that is, especially dangerous and prone to escape.
In Alcatraz, prisoners had 4 solid rights: food, clothing, shelter and medical service. The prisoner must earn everything else for himself. Working prisoners received privileges related to visiting hours, visits to the prison library, and the opportunity to relax, paint or play music.
Escape from Alcatraz
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Alcatraz is the stories about attempts to escape from “American Siberia,” as this prison was also called. They say that only 36 prisoners tried to escape, but it seems that not a single escape was successful. The fact is that the bay has icy water and a very strong current, so, although San Francisco is just a stone's throw away, the chances of swimming to the shore are practically zero, and the approach of boats was strictly prohibited - shooting immediately began. And further. There was a rumor among the prisoners that the island was full of man-eating sharks, which would immediately tear to pieces anyone caught in the water. They even talked about a shark named Bruce, which the guards supposedly specially fed so that it would always be “on duty.” Of course, there were no man-eating sharks, and there are only leopard sharks that do not attack people, but the legend worked, and there were not very many people who wanted to get the shark for lunch. It is reliably known that only one prisoner named John Scott managed to swim to the shore. This was in 1962. But he was so exhausted and exhausted after the swim that he collapsed on the shore, where two boys found him. They decided that the man had tried to commit suicide by throwing himself from the Golden Gate Bridge and called the police for help, who immediately identified the fugitive and brought him back to Alcatraz. But the most famous and prepared was the escape of the two Anglin brothers and their accomplice Morris, which served as the basis for the famous Clint Eastwood film “Escape from Alcatraz.” Using spoons secretly taken from the dining room, they made a passage in the wall and escaped through the ventilation shafts. But the most remarkable thing is that they made their “heads” out of cement, glue, paint and hair stolen from a hairdresser and placed them on pillows so that the guards only noticed their absence in the morning during roll call. It is still unknown how this escape ended - over the past 38 years, the escapees have not been announced anywhere, but there is also no reliable evidence of their death: And the “heads” can be seen in Alcatraz in their cells - they are actually made very skillfully .
Closing
On March 21, 1962, Alcatraz prison was closed. It is officially believed that this decision was made due to the growing cost of keeping criminals on the island. The last 27 prisoners left Alcatraz forever. But the story didn't end there. In the early 70s, dramatic events took place here when the island was captured by the Indians, who demanded that it be given up to create an “Indian territory” here with a university, spiritual center, museum, etc. There was even a proposal to buy it from the authorities for $24 - that’s how much another island cost, which 300 years earlier white people bought from the Indians (meaning Manhattan Island). For 19 long months the Indians held the island, but in the end they gave up and abandoned it. And the fate of Alcatraz was still unclear. Many ideas were put forward, including proposals to create a nursery for stray cats and dogs, establish a casino, etc.
For the further use of the prison, restoration work totaling $3-5 million was required. However, these figures did not include the daily maintenance of prisoners - and Alcatraz prisoners cost the budget three times more than any other federal prison. For example, in 1959, the daily cost of holding a prisoner for Skala was $10.10, compared to $3 in the Atlanta prison. The high cost was explained by the fact that literally everything - food, fuel - had to be delivered from the mainland. There wasn't even one on the island drinking water, and about a million gallons of water had to be shipped to Alcatraz every week.
In 1972, Congress approved the creation of Golden Gate National Park, and Alcatraz became one of the park's properties. In 1973, the Rock was opened to the public and became one of the most attractive places V national park- About a million tourists visit Alcatraz every year.