Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay

 Still featuring photos of San Francisco.  Today's post is of the famous Alcatraz Island in the Bay.  The above is a view is approaching the easterly side of the island.

 The light house and to the right the warden's house.

 From left to right, the white building is the cell house, the light house and the wardens house.

 The tour ringed around the island so these are the industries buildings on the western side of the island.

 The power plant and in the distance the Golden Gate Bridge.

 From left to right, the light house, warden's house, cell house and below on the water is the barracks and apartments.

A short history of the island:
10,000 years ago a brown valley until the waters eventually ran through leaving the island.
Native Americans called it Rainbow Island.  In 1775 Spanish soldiers and priests took the island and renamed it Isla de Alcatraces or Isle of Pelicans.  (lot of bird droppings there)  1821-1854 Mexicans drove out the Spanish and then driven out by the US Army.  A light house was built to help sailors through the Bay and the island became and American fortress, civil war prison, and in the 20th century a prison for criminals from across the US.  In 1963 it lay unused until Native Americans returned where they stayed for 19 months before being expelled.  Since 1972 it Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

You can take tours of the island and many of the grassy areas are being tended to with gardens and the like.  I didn't go on the island, just around it.