Alcatraz is a small island 1.25 miles (2 km) offshore from San Francisco, California. Originally developed in the mid-19th century with a lighthouse and military fortifications, Alcatraz was converted into a federal prison in 1934. Strong currents around the island and cold water temperatures made escape nearly impossible, earning Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary a reputation as one of the most notorious prisons in American history. The prison closed in 1963, and the island is now a major tourist attraction.
In 1969, a group of American Indians took over the federal
penitentiary on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay and laid claim to it by
‘right of discovery’ in an effort to expose the suffering of American Indians.
The occupants cited the Sioux Treaty of 1868, which implied that vacated
federal lands could be occupied by American Indians, and thus began a 19-
month standoff against the U.S. government