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Alcatraz Island Lighthouse in San
Francisco Bay Photo and Information
San Francisco --
Alcatraz Island
Lighthouse, San Francisco, California
in the San Francisco Bay was California's first
lighthouse. Now part of Golden Gate National
Recreation Area, it once housed the nation's
most notorious criminals. Alcatraz was named for
a Spanish word meaning strange bird.
Referring to pelicans living on the island when
Spanish explorers discovered it, Alcatraces
was changed to Alcatraz by the US Coast
Guard Survey in 1851. Blue & Gold Fleet Tickets
for this cruise--
Buy Tickets!; Red
& White Fleet Bay Cruise --Buy Tickets!
The Gold Rush of 1849 created a California boom
with ships pouring into the bay not far from the
inland gold mines near Sacramento. The increased
traffic made the construction of Pacific Coast
lighthouses a priority. Many shipwrecks occurred
previous to the establishment of a lighthouse
system so in 1849, the Coast Guard Survey
dispatched a party to the Pacific Coast to
determine sites for new lighthouses in
California, Oregon, and Washington.
A crew began constructing the Alcatraz
Lighthouse in 1853. It included a cottage and a
two-story structure with a tower in the center.
Painted white with black trim, it held a fixed
third-order lens. The fifty-foot lighthouse only
partially tackled the inherent problems of the
bay area's persistent fog problems, however. A
fog bell was added in 1856, but required a human
attendant to stand and ring it by hand, hours
upon hours. Later fog bells included clockwork
mechanisms that automatically rang the bell at
prescribed intervals. As the San Francisco grew,
a fourth-order lens was installed with a
flashing light, providing a defining
characteristic to set it apart from the city
lights.
The San
Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906, cracked
the tower and caused a chimney to fall. Obscured
by the growth of a military prison, a taller
lighthouse tower was built rather than fix the
cracked structure. There had been a military
presence on the island since the mid 1800's. By
the turn of the century, the military prison on
the island had grown to such an extent that it
was obscuring the lighthouse. Work on a new
lighthouse with an 84-foot tower began in 1909.
Electricity powered the new structure's light
and sirens.
When the U.S. government closed Alcatraz federal
prison in 1963, the lighthouse was automated,
lens removed and a reflecting light installed.
On November 9, 1969, the island was occupied by
Native Americans who claimed the island as part
of an 1868 Sioux treaty. Full-scale colonization
of the island began eleven days later.
("Discover Alcatraz" Self-Guiding Tour) The US
government attempted to drive them off by
cutting off power to the island, including the
lighthouse. Lighted buoys were placed at either
end of the island. Power was restored by the
island's new residence, with the help of a
generator smuggled to the island with the help
of "several prominent San Franciscans concerned
with maritime safety." (Shanks, p. 42)
During this period, a mysterious fire destroyed
the keeper's house and warden's house. A boat
was seen leaving the island shortly before the
fire, leading some to believe the fire was the
work of arsonists. With no water pumps on the
island, there was no way to fight the fire. The
Native American population gradually dwindled,
due to government pressure and the hardships of
living on the island. In June 1971, federal
agents removed the few who remained. ("Discover
Alcatraz" Self-Guiding Tour)
After the occupation, the government's General
Services Administration began to raze the old
fort and prison structures. The historic site
was saved from the wrecking ball in 1972, when
Alcatraz was made a part of the newly-formed
Golden Gate National Recreational Area, and
administered by the National Parks Service.
Today, a 200,000 candlepower optic shines from
the 1909 tower. The island is a popular tourist
attraction. The fourth-order Fresnel lens is on
display in the island museum. Much of the island
has been reclaimed by nature. Part of "Pelican
Island" has been closed off as a nesting area
for seabirds.
Bay
area cruises to see Alcatraz:
BLUE & GOLD
FLEET BAY CRUISE
is a 1 hour cruise
along SF waterfront, past the PIER 39 Sea Lions, Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, Angel Island and Alcatraz.
Buy Tickets
RED & WHITE FLEET BAY CRUISE
Boat tour departs Fisherman’s
Wharf to see Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, Angel Island State Park
and Alcatraz.
Buy Tickets
HORNBLOWER
DINNER CRUISES
San Francisco Bay daily
dinner cruises and Saturday or Sunday Brunch cruise with Golden Gate
Bridge, Alcatraz, more!
Buy
tickets
FERRY BUILDING LINE BAY CRUISE is a 90 minute bay cruise
with choice of narrated audio tapes.
Buy
tickets
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