A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On March 21, 1963, the United States closed Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary; over 1,500 inmates had been jailed at the island prison off the coast of San Francisco, California, over its three decades of use.
So did Alcatraz close its doors?
Or open them?
From the 1934 until 1963, Alcatraz had been America’s elite top security prison, where the nation’s most notorious prisoners went to serve out their time. Per historical accounts, it became expensive to manage and maintain, so plans were made to shut it down.
According to historical accounts, out of the 36 Alcatraz inmates who tried to flee before the prison was closed in March 1963, only three remain unaccounted for, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, which maintains active arrest warrants for the men who vanished in 1962.
Per alcatrazhistory.com, famous criminals who spent time as “guests of the federal prison system” were Al Capone, Alvin Karpis, George Kelly Barnes (“Machine Gun Kelly”), Mickey Cohn and James “Whitey” Bulger.
Robert Stroud became known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz,” and is likely the most famous, and perhaps, most violent inmate who stayed there.
In 1963, the final prisoners were escorted off the island to other facilities.
“Alcatraz closes doors, only ghosts remain,” read the Deseret News headline.
In November 1969, the island was occupied for more than 19 months by a group of Native Americans, initially primarily from San Francisco, who were later joined by AIM and other urban Native Americans from other parts of the country, who were part of a wave of activists organizing public protests across the country through the 1970s.
In 1972, Alcatraz was transferred to the Department of Interior to become part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about Alcatraz, some of the more notorious prisons in the U.S. and why prison reform is an issue still not resolved:
“FBI re-creates decoy heads Alcatraz inmates used in escape”
“Once a prison, Alcatraz now top tourist lure”
“Night tour of Alcatraz Island is eerie”
“7-year-old triumphs over Alcatraz”
“Alcatraz movie premiere has ‘em trying to break in”
“Alcatraz: Former guard remembers notorious prisoners at ‘escape-proof’ island”
“Only survivor of Alcatraz plot dies at 61″
“‘Escape from Alcatraz’ gets anniversary attention”
“Alcatraz film revisits 1969-71 takeover”
“Last meals are quirky custom”
“Huey Newton leaves prison without fellow Black Panther”
“Violence on rise at penitentiaries”
“Rikers Island, New York’s notorious jail complex, is reportedly the ‘scene of a humanitarian crisis’”
“Inmates were watching ‘Lambs’ before rioting”
“Deseret News archives: Did the Alcatraz escapees make it?”
