ALCATRAZ

Alcatraz, namedPelican Island by the first Spaniards who landed there in 1770, became, in 1850, a penitentiary installed in the buildings of a military fortress. In 1933, the U.S. justice system took over the property and wanted to turn Alcatraz into a model prison with maximum security. The famous Al Capone was detained in this fortress which is only one mile from the coast, but from which it is almost impossible to escape: frozen waters, strong currents and sharks are indeed the best guarantees against escape attempts of the prisoners. The prisoners of Alcatraz were the only ones in America to have the right to hot showers, in order to be less able to bear the cold water of the bay in case of escape. Fourteen organized attempts were made anyway. Here are the two most famous. the "Battle of Alcatraz" took place in May 1946. After months of starving himself to get through the bars, Bernard Coy made his way to the Gun Gallery where the guards' weapons were stored. The guards were alerted and a furious battle ensued. Some of the guards were taken hostage and shot a little later by the rebel inmates. A call went out to the Marines who bombed the island and won the bloody battle.

The second episode took place in June 1962 and was developed by the Anglin brothers and inmate Frank Morris. They dug into the wall of their cells with small spoons until they reached the air vents. They built a makeshift raft, were never found and were reported missing. This inspired the movie Escapees from Alcatraz.

Closed on March 21, 1963 for budgetary reasons, Alcatraz has been open to the public since 1973.

When you arrive on the island, you will see red graffiti " Indians Welcome " and " Indian Land ". They are a reminder of an important event: the occupation of the island by native Indians. On the night of November 9, 1969, 78 Native Americans landed on the island to claim their ancestral land. In less than a month, they were about 600 representatives of 50 different tribes. They were the " Indians of All Tribes," as they called themselves. They wrote a declaration entitled " We Hold the Rock " in which they proposed to buy Alcatraz with glass beads and cloth rags, just as the whites had done with Manhattan 300 years earlier. They were deported six months later by the federal army. This was an important moment in the history of Alcatraz.