Beyond any doubt, one of the United States of America’s landmarks is an island, located in San Francisco bay. Not far from the cost, exactly 1.5 miles offshore, lies a huge piece of rock, known once as “The Island of the Pelicans”. This name is, perhaps, not very familiar to the people who are not born in Frisco, but if you mention to the outsiders Alcatraz Island, there is no doubt that they will recognize it easy.

Almost two and a half centuries ago, a Spanish naval officer by the name of Juan Manuel de Ayala y Aranza was the first one to acknowledge the island. One of Mr. de Ayala tasks in service to the Spanish crown was to chart the San Francisco bay. Perhaps, there were little doubts in his mind of how to name this piece of land in the ocean, seldom covered in the past by huge flights of pelicans. So he named it “La Isla de los Alcatraces”, “The Island of the Pelicans”.

This name suggests, that the isle will become a favorite place for the ornithologists from around the world, but the fortune had something else in mind for The Rock, as the island is often referred to. Due to its specific location, The Island of the Pelicans was not left for too long at the disposal of these beautiful water birds. In 1846 the owner of the island – Julian Workman build a lighthouse to guide the ships that passed by the shores of San Francisco.

In 1848 the United States acquired this piece of land from Mexico alongside with the entire part of California. Soon after that, the American army forces researched the island as a perfect spot to place a coastal batteries in order to protect the San Francisco shores from attacks from the ocean. So, the isle was well fortified and during the Civil war in the United States it was used as a military prison. And from a land of freedom, once represented by the pelicans, it became a place of imprisonment.

In 1906  some civilian convicts were transferred from the mainland to The Island of the Pelicans and 3 years later began construction work on building of the huge concrete main cell block, designed by Major Reuben Turner. The status of the Island remained intact up to 1933 when Alcatraz became Federal prison, a role that guaranteed the Island a special place in American history and culture ever since.

If someone looks at the island and its location – in the heart of San Francisco bay, this person will not be able to deny that Rock is somehow perfect for a home of the scum of society. The island is so close to the shore, and yet so far away from the civilization. The only way to get away from there is if you have wings, as the pelicans do. Indeed, in the 29 years history of this federal prison, the authorities claim that not a single escape attempt was successful.

And we all know that prisoners are the last people on Earth that will give their freedom away easily. According to the official statistics on that subject, the total count of escape attempts from Alcatraz was 14. 36 inmates tried their luck to beat the system and the forces of nature, but none of them succeeded.

Among the prisoners, that served their time on the Rock, were some of the toughest gangster in the era between the two world wars. The pearl of the Crown of Alcatraz inmates was, beyond any doubts, Alphonse Gabriel “Al” Capone, who joined the correctional institution in 1934. Among the Crème de la Crème of this society we can highlight the names of Robert Stroud, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Alvin “Creepy Karpis” Karpowicz, who served almost 26 years in Traz.

The end of the federal prison era for the Island of the Pelicans was in 1963. The prison was shut down due to the high cost paid for the penitentiary to operate (the allowance for Alcatraz inmate was $10 per day and in other prisons in the States that cost $3).

23 years later the Alcatraz island was declared a National historic landmark. And in the present days, American Indian groups conduct some rituals on the isle, most notably the “Sunrise Gatherings”.

The Rock conquered a place not only in the history of the United States, but also in the culture of the country. The island is acknowledged in some great Hollywood productions, such as “Escape from Alcatraz” and “The Rock”, starring Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery.

It seems that the aura of the Traz as a prison that no one managed to escape from will continue to drag interest to this place in the times to come. And the return of the Pelicans to their piece of land in the ocean now seems impossible.