Letters From Alcatraz - Michael Esslinger [239]
The final march down Broadway by the last group of inmates, on March 21, 1963. The prisoners were subjected to the strict Alcatraz regimen even in the final hours of the prison’s operation.
Frank C. Weatherman was the last inmate to be incarcerated at Alcatraz.
Correctional officers watching a plane carrying the last group of prisoners from Alcatraz, as it took off from San Francisco International Airport after the closing of the prison on March 21, 1963.
During the history of Alcatraz as a Federal prison, there were 1576 register numbers issued, with twenty-eight inmates receiving two numbers under separate prison terms. Theodore “Blackie” Audett would be alone in the distinction of having been issued three numbers, for three separate terms at Alcatraz. In the final assessment, 1546 inmates served time at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.
Theodore “Blackie” Audett would hold the unique distinction of being the only inmate ever to serve three separate terms at Alcatraz.
In July of 1964, the abandoned prison was turned over to the General Services Agency, which offered use of the property to other governmental agencies. John Hart, a former correctional officer at Alcatraz, remained on the island with his family as a lighthouse keeper and caretaker for the island. They continued to receive the San Francisco Chronicle, which was regularly dropped by a news helicopter, but otherwise lived in relative isolation.
The island remained essentially abandoned while several parties presented proposals for its use, ranging from erecting a West Coast version of the Statue of Liberty, to building a monument in honor of America’s Space Program, complete with a memorial modeled on an Apollo space capsule. In June of 1968, San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto issued an appeal for public propositions. After a series of long battles and debates, which included an acceptance by the board of a proposal by Texas millionaire Lamar Hunt to develop the island as commercial property, the Secretary for the Department of the Interior ordered a draft plan for public recreational use of the abandoned prison site. But the battles over Alcatraz were not yet over. A group of Native American activists would also choose the island as the ideal place to make a political stand.
The Indian Occupation
On November 20, 1969, a large group of American Indians landed on Alcatraz and claimed it for the Indian Nation. They offered to purchase the island for twenty-four dollars, payable in beads and red cloth – the same amount paid by the government to natives for “a similar island 300 years ago.”
A Native American tee-pee is clearly visible next to one of the island pathways in 1970. This was a symbol of their quest for peace and freedom.
The massive fires that were started on June 1, 1970 during the Indian Occupation ultimately destroyed several key structures, including the Warden’s mansion and the lighthouse.
On November 20, 1969, a large group of American Indians landed on Alcatraz and claimed the island as Indian property. The group articulated great plans, and hoped to establish an educational Native American Cultural Center. Overwhelming public support had developed for the movement, with advocates ranging from celebrities to members of the Hell's Angels. The Indians had the attention of both the media and the government. Federal officials met with the group, often sitting crossed-legged on blankets inside the old prison Dining Hall, discussing the social needs of the Indians. The volume of visitors became overwhelming, and the island started to become a haven for the homeless and the less fortunate. The Indians soon were faced with the same problems that had assailed the prison administration: there were no natural resources on the island, and all food and water had to be ferried over by boat. This was an expensive and exhausting process.
Despite special prohibitions that had been declared