There are so many things to do in the San Francisco Bay area. A popular choice is to visit Alcatraz Island which is full of history and venture.

It is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, 1.5 miles off the shore from California. It is also sometimes referred to as The Rock.

It was originally a small island which served as a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison and a Federal Bureau of Prisons federal prison until 1963. However, later in 1972, it became a national recreation area and received land marking designations in 1976 and again in 1986.

Currently, it is a historic site that is operated by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and it is open for tours daily. The island has ferry rides from Pier 33 that can reach the island near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.

In 2008, the nation’s first hybrid propulsion ferry started serving the island. Alcatraz has been featured in many movies, TV shows, cartoons, books, comics and games, bringing it into popular culture.

The first documentation of the island was made by a Spaniard named Juan Manuel de Ayala in the year 1775. He charted the Bay and named the island “La Isla de los Alcatraces” which means “The Island of the Pelicans.”

It is home to the no longer operational prison, the site of the oldest operating lighthouse on the west coast, early military fortifications and natural features such as rock pools, a seabird colony and unique views of the coastline.

The earliest known owner of the island of Alcatraz is Julian Workman, to whom it was given by Mexican governor Pio Pico in 1846. It was given for Workman to build a lighthouse on it.

Later, the Military Governor of California, John C. Fremont, champion of Manifest Destiny and leader of the Bear Flag Republic bought the island for $5000 in the name of the United States government. Later, in 1850, President Millard Fillmore ordered that it be set apart for military purposes only based upon the U.S. after the United States acquired California from Mexico as a result of the Mexican-American War.

Following the acquisition of California, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican American War. Next, the California cialis price Gold Rush began the following year and the U.S. Army began studying the suitability of Alcatraz Island for the positioning of coastal protection against those approaching the San Francisco Bay.

Government officials began fortifying the island in 1853 under the direction of Zealous B. Tower and the Corps of Engineers. The island’s first barracks at Camp Alcatraz brought in about 200 soldiers and eleven cannons that arrived at the end of that same year.

Then, when the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the island mounted 85 cannons in case people came around its perimeter despite its small size.

It also served as the San Francisco Arsenal for storage of firearms to prevent them falling into the hands of Southern sympathizers. Alcatraz never fired its guns offensively, but it was used to imprison Confederate sympathizers and privateers from the west coast of the United States.

Because of its isolation from the outside Viagra Jelly world, it was used to house Civil War prisoners since 1861. After the war in about 1866, the army made modernization efforts like an ambitious plan to level off the entire island and construct a shell-proof underground tunnel system.

That plan was started but never completed as the army switched its focus from coastal defense to detention. This seemed like the perfect assignment given its isolated state.

Then, in 1867, a brick jailhouse was built which previously held inmates in the basement of the guardhouse. The next year, it was officially designated as a long term detention facility for military prisoners.

Today, it is just a place for tours to visit the history and interesting past of the island. It is a fascinating tour for people of all ages and interest levels.

You can go and see the magnificent views as well as hear entertaining stories of people who tried to escape the island. There are so many great tales and interesting sights to see, you will be left with a unique experience full of memories.

Author Bio: Terry Daniels has been writing about things to do in cities across America. He recommends things to do in San Francisco for finding great activities in San Francisco.

Contact Info:

Terry Daniels
TerryDaniels09@gmail.com
www.thingstodo.com

Category: Recreation and Leisure/Travel/Destinations
Keywords: things to do in san francisco