Alcatraz Island

Welcome to Alcatraz Island, a place that has captured the world's imagination for over a century. Known famously as 'The Rock,' this twenty-two-acre island sits just one and a quarter miles offshore in the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay. As you step off the ferry, you are following in the footsteps of many who came here before you—though most of them were not here by choice. The name 'Alcatraz' itself comes from the Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala, who in seventeen seventy-five called it 'La Isla de los Alcatraces,' or 'The Island of the Pelicans.' Today, it is a National Historic Landmark, but its history is a layered story of military defense, a high-stakes federal penitentiary, and a powerful symbol of civil rights activism. Take a deep breath of the salty air and prepare to explore one of America’s most complex and haunting landmarks.