Alcatraz Island With Pelicans Editorial Image

Alcatraz Island is located in San Francisco Bay, 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The small island is the site of an abandoned federal prison, the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the U.S., an early military prison, and a military fortification. It was operated as a federal prison from August 11, 1934 until March 21, 1963 and was notorious because the strong currents around the island and the cold water temperatures made escape all but impossible. It is now a major tourist attraction, telling the story of the prisoners who were housed here.