Alcatraz Island’s federal penitentiary, “The Rock,” never had an escapee until 1962 when three inmates dug through vents and escaped on a makeshift raft. They are presumed dead, but their bodies were never found, and the FBI still has active arrest warrants for them. Alcatraz was built as a naval defense fortification in the 1850s and housed military prisoners until 1933, after which it became a maximum-security prison for some of America’s most notorious criminals, including Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. It was expensive to operate and is now a popular tourist attraction.
Official records show that no one has ever escaped from “The Rock” – the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island that housed some of America’s most hardened criminals from 1934 to 1963. Most of the 36 inmates who tried to escape they were killed or captured, or drowned in the icy water of San Francisco Bay. Officially, however, three of those 36 would-be fugitives are listed as “presumed dead” and the reality is that no one is really sure that Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin didn’t make it to Mexico or Brazil instead. . The three robbery convicts spent months digging through vents in 1962 and escaped into the bay in a makeshift raft cobbled together from more than 50 stolen raincoats. None of their bodies have been found, and the FBI still maintains active arrest warrants on all three men.
Capone’s home away from home:
Alcatraz was built as a naval defense fortification in the 1850s. It housed military prisoners from 1861 to 1933, after which the US Army transferred control to the Justice Department.
A maximum-security, least-privilege facility, Alcatraz represented the government’s attempt to crack down on the rampant crime of the 1920s and 1930s. Inmates included Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Alvin Karpis, the first villain to be designated Public Enemy No. 1.
Alcatraz was the most expensive of all US prisons to operate, mainly due to the cost of transporting fresh water to the island and evacuating waste. The National Park Service has since turned it into a popular tourist attraction.
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