Alcatraz Island

mysterious world
May 23, 2022
3 min read

Alcatraz island is located near the san fransisco bay, San Fransisco, California. The island was named “La Isla de los Alcatraces” ( island of the pelicans) by a Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala in 1775.

Mike lee

In the 1950s the island was reserved for military use due to its safe location and the army built a fortress and installed cannons to protect the San Fransisco bay, several weapons were kept there for safe keeping. By the late 1950s the island started housing war criminals or military prisoners. As the island was isolated from the mainland by the strong cold waters of the bay, it was an ideal location to hold the prisoners as nobody would dare run away from the prison and if the prisoners would try to run away it’s very unlikely that they can swim through the cold and strong currents of the bay.

Alcatraz basement @TheeCakee

It was converted to federal prison in 1934 and during its operation housed some of the most dangerous inmates most notably “Al Capone” and “Robert Stroud”. A maximum security facility was opened and the prisoners were subjected to adverse living conditions with little to no benefits. The cells were really small and the inmates were sometimes not even let out of prison for more than a week. Many prisoners committed suicide or were killed by other inmates. People who tried to run away would either be captured, shot dead or would drown. Inmates were subjected to a lot of torture.

Alcatraz was shut down in 1963 after 29 years of operating as a federal prison because of the high operating costs and the buildings were deteriorating faster because of the salty sea water. It now operates as one of the most famous tourist attractions in San Fransisco and a lot of tourists visit the island. Due to its brutal history the island is considered to be one of the most haunted locations in the world.

istolethetv/ Wikimediacommons

Tourists have seen or heard things on the island that can only be attributed to the supernatural. Even when the prison was in operation the guards would often witness paranormal activity. The inmates who were not able to flee the island during their life were doomed on the island even after their deaths and the island became a hub of tortured and broken souls. People visiting there have heard unexplainable sounds, cell doors closing or crashing, footsteps and even unearthly screams. There is always an intense feeling of being watched and as there is a lot of negative energy people can sometimes feel this energy and will sometimes have to leave a certain area as they are not able to withstand that energy and they would feel that it’s choking them. Paranormal investigators often visit the island and they are overwhelmed by the mysterious activity and energy on the island.

Tim wilson

Some of the most haunted locations are the hospital, the laundry room and cell block c, however the most haunted among these haunted locations is the D cell block also known as the solitary confinement. People who go there can often feel the air becoming thick around them and can feel the vibrations in their body. It is as if they are not alone and surrounded by a group that they cannot see. Rangers who have to look after the island refuse to go inside the solitary confinement alone.

Alcatraz outside area @Bigmacthealmanac

According to one guard who was at the prison during its operation, one inmate was sent to solitary confinement, within a few minutes the man started screaming that a tall figure with ghostly eyes was attacking him. The guards thought of these as desperate cries in order to get out of solitary confinement. However, the Screaming carried on throughout the night and suddenly there was a complete silence. In the morning he was found strangled to death. People believed that he was killed by an evil spirit and the mystery continued to the next day when the guards counting the inmates counted more people than the total number of inmates present. Everyone was stunned but the figure that the guard had counted vanished in thin air.

Alcatraz library Tim wilson

People who visited the island have heard constant whispering, footsteps, foul smell, moaning and even saw a figure with glowing eyes from far away. Some people have even reported being touched when they have trying to sit inside a cell alone. The island is shrouded with mystery but it still remains one of the most visited public attractions around San Fransisco.