Alcatraz History

09/05/2026

September 4, 1934: The third and largest group of federal prisoners - 106 men in total - arrived at Alcatraz from USP Leavenworth. Transported in heavily guarded, custom-built rail cars, the transfer included some of the era’s most notorious outlaws: George "Machine Gun" Kelly, his kidnapping partner Albert Bates, legendary bank robber Harvey Bailey, Charles Berta, Tom Underwood, and Capone associate Frank Del Bono.

📸: AP Wire Photo (Colorized by AH)

09/05/2026

A belated birthday to Mickey Cohen:

On September 4, 1913, Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen was born in Brooklyn before rising to become the undisputed kingpin of the Los Angeles underworld.

Dapper, violent, and media-savvy, Cohen dominated illegal gambling, extortion, and the Sunset Strip throughout the 1940s and '50s. Like Al Capone before him, it wasn't the violence that brought him down—it was the IRS.

In 1961, Cohen was convicted of tax evasion and sent to Alcatraz. His time there earned him a bizarre footnote in penal history: he became the only inmate ever bailed out of Alcatraz, securing a $100,000 bond signed directly by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren.

The reprieve didn't last. His appeals fell through, landing him back on "The Rock" in 1962 until he was transferred to the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in 1963. There, another inmate attacked him with a lead pipe, leaving Cohen partially paralyzed.

From ruling Hollywood nightclubs in tailored suits to sweeping cellblocks on an isolated island, Cohen’s time on Alcatraz cemented the final, irreversible decline of one of America’s most brazen mobsters.

**ey

09/03/2026

On September 3, 1929, James “Wh**ey” Bulger was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His life would eventually become one of the darkest and most infamous chapters in American organized-crime history - but before the headlines, the years as a fugitive, and his place on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, Bulger was Alcatraz prisoner #1428-AZ. He arrived on the Rock in November 1959 and spent 987 days behind its walls, sharing the prison with men including Alvin Karpis, Mickey Cohen, Frank Lee Morris, Bumpy Johnson, the Anglin Brothers, and Clarence “Choctaw Kid” Carnes.

Decades later, Bulger remembered Alcatraz with surprising nostalgia - the cold cells, rigid routine, prison yard and extraordinary view across San Francisco Bay. Today, on the anniversary of his birth, his years on Alcatraz remain a fascinating part of the complicated history of both Wh**ey Bulger and America’s most legendary federal prison. His crimes left real victims and lasting consequences, but his story also remains inseparably woven into the darker history of the Rock.

Learn more: In James “Wh**ey” Bulger: The Last Interviews, Alcatraz historian and author Michael Esslinger draws from seven years of personal interviews with Bulger, along with letters and prison records, allowing Bulger to recount - in his own words - his childhood, criminal life, years on Alcatraz, decades as a fugitive, capture, and final years in federal prison.

**ey

09/01/2026

Born on September 1, 1926, in Washington, D.C., Frank Lee Morris marks his centennial milestone on September 1, 2026 - presumed either dead in the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay or having pulled off the most famous prison disappearance in American history. Orphaned by age 11 and entangled in crime from his youth, Morris was known for an exceptionally sharp mind, testing in the top 2% of the prison population with an estimated IQ of 133. After repeated escapes from other institutions, he arrived at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in January 1960 as inmate AZ-1441.

On the night of June 11, 1962, Morris helped orchestrate one of the most meticulously planned prison breaks of the 20th century alongside brothers John and Clarence Anglin. Using sharpened spoons, a vacuum cleaner motor converted into an improvised drill, and papier-mâché dummy heads detailed with real human hair to fool the night guards, the trio squeezed through widened ventilation shafts into an unmonitored utility corridor. They scaled a ventilation shaft to the roof, descended external pipes, and inflated a makeshift raft crafted from over 50 stolen raincoats before disappearing into the fog-shrouded bay.

While the FBI closed its formal investigation (Operation NORPAC) in 1979 after finding no definitive proof of survival, they concluded the men likely drowned in the treacherous currents, the U.S. Marshals Service took over the case the same year and continued investigating leads up into 2026. With the centennial of Frank's birth, his portion of the case will official close. The U.S. Marshals maintains an active open case until every suspect turns 99 or is proven deceased.

Whether Morris perished that stormy June night or lived out a quiet second life in obscurity, his centennial underscores an enduring legacy: the man who along with the Anglin brothers, outsmarted "The Rock" and helped inspire decades of folklore, literature, and film. Happy Birthday, Frankie!

09/01/2026

Frank Lee Morris, one of the principal conspirators in the 1962 Great Escape from Alcatraz is born on this date (September 1, 1926). His fate remains unknown and is still a fugitive and wanted by the FBI.

A video short celebrating Frank's 100th!

On September 1, 1926, Frank Lee Morris was born—today would mark hi...

08/28/2026

August 28, 1942: Jim Quillen (AZ-586) arrived on Alcatraz from USP McNeil Island. Quillen was serving a 45-year sentence for kidnapping and violation of the Dyer Act - a 1919 law passed to stop the interstate trafficking of stolen vehicles. While at McNeil Island, he had been caught with several steak knives intended for an escape attempt. Years after his release, he turned his life around and penned the gripping memoir: Inside Alcatraz: The Hard Years (the title has changed with various editions).

📸: AH | BOP | SF Chronicle | M. Esslinger

08/26/2026

The opposite side of the escape cell wall (from the previous post and corresponding photograph). Now rusted away, the prongs and steel plate were inserted after the escape to block the opening. These cells were never occupied again after the 1962 Alcatraz escape.

📸: AH

08/26/2026

A modern view inside the Alcatraz B-Block utility corridor, showing the maze of pipes (many now disintegrated) used to climb to the cellblock roof area during the famed 1962 Alcatraz escape. This photo was taken looking down toward Frank Morris's and Allen West's cells.

📸: AH

08/24/2026

A mid-2000s-era view from the Alcatraz Recreation Yard bleachers, looking out toward the Golden Gate Bridge.

📸: AH

08/23/2026

Robert Schibline (AZ-1355) was born on this date, August 23, 1931.

Bob was serving a 15-year sentence for armed bank robbery when he arrived at Alcatraz in June 1958. In his own words: "I was accused of being a ringleader and an 'Enforcer' in a strike, and got picked up along with twenty-two others."

After his release in 1965, Bob built a respectable and rewarding life. He opened his own dive shop, Neptune’s Dive Center, spent his final years in Florida, and generously shared his memories with all of us here in this forum.

On this date in 2021, Bob's family and friends gathered on Alcatraz to celebrate his life and his inspiring journey of redemption. A portion of his ashes was scattered in the garden on the west side of the island, overlooking the peaceful waters of the San Francisco Bay.

For me, Bob will always be one of the greatest voices of this incredible history...