Why did families live on Alcatraz?

Open from 1934 to 1963, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was thought to house some of America's most ruthless criminals. But it was also home to the young families of guards who patrolled the prison. Sweeping views of San Francisco, a tight-knit community and the comfort of knowing your child was safe.



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At any given time, there were about 300 civilians living on Alcatraz that included both women and children. The primary living areas for families were Building #64, three apartment buildings, one large duplex, and four large wooden houses for senior officers.

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Sixty families lived on Alcatraz and there were about 75 kids of all ages. We all went to school in the city. I lived there twice, a couple of years when I was seven to nine and then we moved to the city and my dad commuted and then we came back when I was 14 and a half…

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7 Insanity. Alcatraz was a maximum-security prison and notoriously rigid in its rules and day to day life. This, coupled with the solitude of being on an island led to the deterioration of many prisoners' mental health.

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Frank Morris, John Anglin, and his brother, Clarence Anglin have never been located since escaping the facility — which was at some point home to criminals like Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Robert Stroud.

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Alcatraz officials have suggested they drowned or died of hypothermia. Read more Alcatraz stories here. But now, more than 50 years later, the Anglin family has provided evidence that the men might have survived.

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The family also released a photo of the brothers that might have been taken in the 1970s, 20 years after their escape. What's more, John Anglin allegedly wrote a letter to the San Francisco Police in 2013. While all three prisoners survived the escape, he was the only one still living, the writer claimed.

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At Alcatraz, work included factory work, laundry, general prison maintenance, and food preparation. Inmates received nominal wages. As cash can be a dangerous commodity in the prison, wages were credited to individual accounts in the prison trust fund.

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Again, from January 1900 to April 1907, ten babies were born on the island. While the number of children living on the island fluctuated greatly over the years, the scarce census records indicate a rough average of 20 or so boys and girls (army brats) making Alcatraz their home.

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Frank Lucas Bolt Little has been documented about Alcatraz's LGBTQ+ prisoners, but gay men did play a role in the infamous prison. In fact, it was a queer man, Frank Lucas Bolt, who served as the prison's first official inmate.

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The underlying goals of the Indians on Alcatraz were to awaken the American public to the reality of the plight of the first Americans and to assert the need for Indian self-determination.

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But what few people realize is that during the past 200 years, Alcatraz was not only home to criminals?it was home to many children, too! Over the years, the island has been home to the children of Native Americans, lighthouse keepers, military soldiers, and prison guards.

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There a chartered bus transported them to an undisclosed airport where a U.S. Immigration Service airplane took them to their new institutions in Leavenworth, Kan.; McNeill Island, Wash.; Lewisburg, Pa.; or Atlanta, Ga.

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“Their fate is unknown.” And it remains unknown. Technically, fugitives Frank Morris, Charles Anglin and John Anglin are still wanted men.

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In June 1962, inmates Clarence Anglin, John Anglin, and Frank Morris escaped from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, a maximum-security prison located on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay.

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The prison went into lock down, and an intensive search began. The U.S. Marshals Service released updated photos this week, just after the 60th anniversary of the escape. If alive, all three of the men would be in their 90s.

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Or would you plot your eventual escape? Unfortunately, the odds would be stacked against you for that last option. Only one group has managed to successfully break out of Alcatraz in its 30-year history. Out of 36 men who attempted to escape, 23 were caught, six were shot and killed, and the others drowned.

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In the 1930s, Alcatraz was already a forbidding place, surrounded by the cold, rough waters of the Pacific. The redesign included tougher iron bars, a series of strategically positioned guard towers, and strict rules, including a dozen checks a day of the prisoners. Escape seemed near impossible.

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Perhaps the most famous of all Alcatraz inmates is Robert Stroud, often remembered for his portrayal in the 1962 movie Birdman of Alcatraz. He was convicted of murder in 1909 after shooting a man at point-blank range. The victim was reportedly a client of a prostitute Stroud was pimping and had refused to pay her.

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Prison Guard Harold P. Stites was shot and killed (by friendly fire) during the rescue attempt while Prison Guard William A. Miller died of his injuries the following day in the cell. In addition to the deaths of those two, 14 other prison guards were wounded in the battle.

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