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WHAT IS ALCATRAZ?
THE 1930S WAS A PRIME TIME FOR CRIME AND

ROBBERIES IN THE UNITED STATES. CRIMINALS LIKE

MACHINE GUN KELLEY AND AL SCARFACE CAPONE
WERE AS FAMOUS AS CELEBRITIES.

EVERYONE AGREED THAT A SUPER-PRISON WAS

NEEDED.

ALCATRAZ ISLAND WAS THE PERFECT FIT. IT IS

LOCATED IN THE WATERS OF CALIFORNIAS SAN

FRANCISCO BAY.

THE PRISON OPENED IN 1962.

WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE ON THE ISLAND?

NO NEWSPAPERS WERE ALLOWED AND THE ONLY RADIO

STATIONS THEY COULD LISTEN TO WERE THOSE APPROVED

BY THE WARDEN

LOUD BELL WOKE THEM UP EVERY MORNING AT 6:30 AM,

THEY STOOD TO BE COUNTED AND THEN CLEANED THEIR
CELLS.

EACH MEAL WAS ONLY 20 MINUTES LONG AND THEY WERE

ALL REQUIRED TO PERFORM SOME KIND OF JOB FOR THE
PRISON.

BEDTIME WAS 9:30 PM AND HEAD COUNTS TOOK

CONSTANTLY.

THE ESCAPE
FOR 4 MONTHS FRANK MORRIS, ALLEN WEST, AND BROTHERS
CLARENCE AND JOHN ANGLIN PLANNED THEIR ESCAPE.

THEY USED SPOONS TO CHIP AWAY AT THE CONCRETE WALLS

IN THEIR CELLS

THEY CONSTRUCTED MAKESHIFT RAFTS OUT OF STOLEN

RAINCOATS. TO FOOL THE GUARDS, THEY MADE DUMMY
HEADS OUT OF GLUE AND OTHER OBJECTS.

ON JUNE 11, 1962, MORRIS AND THE ANGLIN BROTHERS

ESCAPED FROM THEIR CELLS, CLIMBED UP THE PIPES,

CRAWLED ACROSS THE ROOF AND DOWN A DRAIN PIPE. THEY
MADE IT.

SO WHAT HAPPENED?
IN 1963 THE PRISON BECAME TO EXPENSIVE TO

OPERATE. ROBERT F. KENNEDY DECIDED TO CLOSE IT.

ALCRATAZ OPERATED 29 YEARS. DURING THIS, 14

ESCAPE ATTEMPTS WERE MADE INVOLVING 36 MEN.

MOST OF THEM WERE CAUGHT, SHOT, OR DROWNED.

THE 3 MEN WERE NEVER FOUND. THEIR RAFT WAS

DISCOVERED NEAR-BY BUT THEY WERE NEVER SEEN

OR HEARD FROM AGAIN.

THESE MEN WILL FOREVER BE KNOWN AS THE MEN

THAT ESCAPED THE UN-ESCAPABLE.

R
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PROJE
UWRT 1104