Alcatraz

December 4, 2004 Alcatraz The name Alcatraz in derived form the Spanish "Alcatraces." In 175, the Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala was the first to sail into what is now known as San Francisco Bay: this expedition mapped the bay, and named one of the three islands Alcatraces; over time, the name was Anglicized to Alcatraz. While the exact meaning is still debated, Alcatraz is usually defined as meaning "pelican" or "strange bird." In 1850, a presidential order …

…home, and the Officer's club). In June1971, Federal Marshals removed the remaining Native Americans from the island. In 1972, Congress created the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Alcatraz Island was included as part of the new National Park Service unit. The island opened to the public in the fall of 1973 and has become one of the most popular Park Service sites, more than one million visitors from around the world visit the island each year.