History of Alcatraz
History of Alcatraz
Meghan Norris
ENC1102 Composition II
Virginia Fontana
9/28/12
Everest University Online
Alcatraz has a very long and dark history that not many people know many people know it as a prison that held the most hardened criminals that other prisons couldn’t handle. When an inmate was sent to Alcatraz it is because other prisons couldn’t handle them and they needed to be sent somewhere where they could be handled. Alcatraz was considered a prison within a prison system. But does anyone really know how Alcatraz was first discovered and what the island was first used for.
The first time that the island was first discovered was August 5th, 1775 by a Spanish explorer by the name of Juan Manuel de Ayala who actually mapped and named the Alcatraz Island for christening it La Isla de los Alcatraces or island of the Pelicans because of all the large population of birds. (America) . However Juan Manuel de Ayala wasn’t the first person to visit the island he was only the one to discover it. The first people to actually visit the island Alcatraz were the Miwok native Americans and the Ohlone Native Americans. They visited the island around 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. The Miwok lived north of the bay in which is known today as Marin County and the Ohlone lived in the coastal areas between Point Sur and the San Francisco Bay. (Cruises) The island of Alcatraz didn’t become a military base until California became a possession of the United States in February. California was officially part of the United States on February 2th 1848 after a treaty with Mexico that ended the Mexican War. (Cruises) On January 24th gold was first discovered in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and with that the population of San Francisco exploded from 500 to more than 35,000 as gold seekers came to California. Now some may ask why is this so important well it was from all the gold hunters coming to California that is when the government began to
Meghan Norris
ENC1102 Composition II
Virginia Fontana
9/28/12
Everest University Online
Alcatraz has a very long and dark history that not many people know many people know it as a prison that held the most hardened criminals that other prisons couldn’t handle. When an inmate was sent to Alcatraz it is because other prisons couldn’t handle them and they needed to be sent somewhere where they could be handled. Alcatraz was considered a prison within a prison system. But does anyone really know how Alcatraz was first discovered and what the island was first used for.
The first time that the island was first discovered was August 5th, 1775 by a Spanish explorer by the name of Juan Manuel de Ayala who actually mapped and named the Alcatraz Island for christening it La Isla de los Alcatraces or island of the Pelicans because of all the large population of birds. (America) . However Juan Manuel de Ayala wasn’t the first person to visit the island he was only the one to discover it. The first people to actually visit the island Alcatraz were the Miwok native Americans and the Ohlone Native Americans. They visited the island around 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. The Miwok lived north of the bay in which is known today as Marin County and the Ohlone lived in the coastal areas between Point Sur and the San Francisco Bay. (Cruises) The island of Alcatraz didn’t become a military base until California became a possession of the United States in February. California was officially part of the United States on February 2th 1848 after a treaty with Mexico that ended the Mexican War. (Cruises) On January 24th gold was first discovered in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and with that the population of San Francisco exploded from 500 to more than 35,000 as gold seekers came to California. Now some may ask why is this so important well it was from all the gold hunters coming to California that is when the government began to
References: America, L. o. (n.d.). The Long History of Alcatraz Island. Retrieved 09 29, 2012, from Legends of America: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-alcatraz.html Company, O. V. (n.d.). HISTORY OF THE ROCK. Retrieved 09 29, 2012, from Alcatraz History: http://www.alcatrazhistory.com/mainpg.htm Cruises, A. (n.d.). Alcatraz Island: An Inescapable Experience. Retrieved 09 29, 2012, from Alcatraz Cruises: http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/website/history-before-1769.aspx Mahaney, E. (n.d.). Alcatraz Prison History and Facts About Alcatraz. Retrieved 09 29, 2012, from About.com: http://geography.about.com/od/unitedstatesofamerica/a/Alcatraz-Prison-Facts.htm Meyer, A. (n.d.). Alcatraz Facts The True History of Alcatraz Island. Retrieved 09 29, 2012, from SF Travel: http://www.sftravel.com/Alcatraz1950on.html Prisons, F. B. (n.d.). A Brief History of Alcatraz. Retrieved 09 29, 2012, from Federal Bureau of Prisons: http://www.bop.gov/about/history/alcatraz.jsp