© 2026 brewSFContactCookiesPrivacyTerms

Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island
Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Landmark

Alcatraz Island

Website

About

A federal prison from 1934 to 1963, 1.25 miles offshore, where cold water and strong currents made escape nearly impossible. Native American activists occupied the island for over 19 months from November 1969, and its lighthouse is the oldest operating on the West Coast.