I’ve only been to San Francisco, CA, one time. For an entire week. We had a great time there, but it is hard to be a tourist without noticing the most iconic presence of Alcatraz.
Alcatraz Island sits in the San Francisco Bay, and it is about 1.25 miles from shore.
Most people don’t know that its name comes from the Spanish La Isla de los Alcatraces. That is commonly translated as “Island of the Pelicans.”
At any rate, it is really something to see. It hasn’t always been a prison, though. Some of its early uses include:
Military fortification (1850s)
Military prison
Federal penitentiary (1934–1963)
Most people think of it as a prison, I think. It was designed to hold inmates who were considered beyond reform. It was also made to hold the escape-prone criminals.
Some of the most famous prisoners were Al Capone. George Machine Gun Kelly. Arthur Doc Barker (brother to Ma Barker). And Robert Stroud (who did not keep birds on Alcatraz, despite the myth).
Of course, there are all the famous stories about the grand escape attempts. I’m not sure why anyone would try it. If you ever saw the place, you would think it was impossible. Anyway, there have been 14 escape attempts involving 36 inmates.
The 1962 escape by Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers remains unresolved. This is the one with Clint Eastwood in the movie. Anyway. Those guys were officially presumed drowned.
But we all know it eventually closed for business. As noted, back in the 1960s. Alcatraz was too expensive to operate. Way more expensive. It was up to three times the cost of mainland prisons due to transport, maintenance, and supplies.
Today it is managed by the National Park Service.
It is one of the most visited historic sites in the U.S.
And finally, it is also an important bird sanctuary.
Yes. A bird sanctuary.
The birds love it there for several reasons. There are no predators. The island has no raccoons, foxes, or feral cats. And this is a rare thing for coastal nesting sites. So the birds are like, “Heckins yeah!”
Not only are those predators gone, but there are minimal human disturbances. Even from the tourists. Large sections of the island are closed seasonally to protect nesting birds.
Another thing the birds like are the steep cliffs and ledges. These are just perfect for seabirds that nest on narrow rock faces. And of course, the San Francisco Bay provides ample food.
So. Who mostly goes there?
Western Gull. (The most numerous residents.)
Double-crested Cormorant
Black-crowned Night Heron
Snowy Egret
Pigeon Guillemot
So. Here is the cool thing, I think.
Alcatraz was once designed to keep life out. It was escape-proof. It was stripped bare and highly controlled.
Now it’s a place where life returns every year on instinct alone.
Yes. New life is born there on purpose. Those birds are safe there and happy.
It makes me happy to think that eggs are laid in old guard towers and that nests are tucked into those old crumbly prison ruins, all over the place.
Birds sing their happy songs where those prison sirens once went off. The alarms that signaled capitivity has been replaced by the beautiful songs of birds. And those birds are free to come and go as they please.
These days, Trump wants to spend millions of Americans’ dollars to turn it back into a feared prison. Oh boy. Making America Great Again, I gather.
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“Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.”
— Robert Hunter
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“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.”
— Emily Dickinson
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“The earth has music for those who listen.”
— William Shakespeare
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“Some places speak to us softly, but they never stop speaking.”
— Rebecca Solnit
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