My last full day in San Francisco meant another field trip. This time, we would be headed to Alcatraz. We arrived at the ferry dock and looked around at the exhibits, including a really cool scale model of the island.
Then, we boarded the ferry for the ride out to the island. We really lucked out with the weather. Blue skies and pleasant temperatures. The views to Alcatraz were awesome!
Upon arrival on the island, we had a private tour of two limited access areas: The prison hospital and the old fort under the prison. The hospital was interesting in that we caught a glimpse of the "cell" of the famous "Birdman of Alcatraz".
Also, caught glimpses of locations used in shooting "The Rock".
After the hospital, we headed through the old military prison,
and then under the prison to the old "Fortress Alcatraz".
Some of the most interesting things to see in the old fort were graffiti left from the Indian occupation of the island from 1969 to 1971.
After the tour of the old fort, we moved onto a self-guided audio tour of the prison. We saw the cells and learned about some of the people (guards and prisoners) who lived there.
You start in the shower room where besides showering, prisoners would be issued their clothing.
One of my favorite stops was the cell where prisons had escaped. They used dummies they had fabricated out of random items they found in the prison.
After the audio tour, we left the prison area
and explored parts of the island on our own. I really enjoyed seeing the lighthouse.
We walked through the beautiful gardens and all around the open areas of the island, enjoying the views.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the tour, was the evidence of the Indian occupation. There is a good deal of graffiti left and a very interesting exhibit about the start of American Indian Movement (AIM).
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