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coloring involves our perceptions of the early days of space travel. Following the return of the Apollo 12 Astronauts from the second lunar landing mission, the crewmen were televised in a worldwide broadcast with President Richard M. Nixon via a secured telephone connection to the White House. While awaiting the President’s arrival, the crew sat idly as television cameras focused on the planetary explorers, trapped behind the glass window of their quarantine trailer. As the world watched, Mission Commander Pete Conrad cupped his hand over the telephone receiver, turned away from the camera and whispered a comment to Command Module Pilot Richard Gordon. The public would never hear his remark, which was later revealed to me: “See Dick, I told you if you stuck with me you’d be farting through silk.” I obviously never met George Washington, but I did get to know Pete Conrad extremely well and humor was a hallmark of his personality. He was a brilliant astronaut, but he never let an opportunity for a joking comment pass him. I had heard this story before meeting him and it helped me to shape a more accurate image of his personality. I’ve always wished that I had read more such stories when I was in school, rather than the carefully woven images that my textbooks always seem to provide. When Pete later stepped foot on the moon, his historic first words spoken from the lunar surface were: “Whoopee.... Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me.” His humor shows the human side to those historic accomplishments.

With all of this in mind, the greatest weakness of Alcatraz – A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years also remains its principal strength. I felt it was important to capture the essence of the island’s history, but at the same time to ensure the integrity of the archival records. Above all, I had to resist the temptation to venture too deeply into the states of mind or the thought processes of the individuals involved, or to replace plain fact with entertaining narrative. The voices of Alcatraz are numerous and one simply cannot understand the complex history of the island by looking solely at any exclusive source. In my process of researching specific events, when the source materials provided little or no information, I turned to the excellent works that are listed in the bibliography to verify the chronology. These works have served to preserve the history of Alcatraz to the present day. It should also be noted that the bibliographic references provided herein serve as a map for those whose interests require a more expanded research base. Alcatraz – A Definitive History is intended as a source reference rather than a conclusive text. The history of Alcatraz is a fascinating window into one of the richest and debatably one of the darkest aspects of America’s history. I hope that this book will inspire you to read further on the subject and will help you to hear for yourself the many voices of Alcatraz, and their fascinating stories.

- Michael Esslinger

Discovery and Exploration

For centuries the bay of San Francisco lay hidden to passing ships, due to a unique illusion created by a small island that is known today as Alcatraz. This island positioned at the center of the bay and three miles inland from the Pacific Ocean was indistinctly visible from the misty coastline. The Rocky formations draped with gloomy vegetation blended in with the soft features of the East Bay Hills, screening the mouth of the elusive harbor.

A survey map from the 1800’s showing Alcatraz Island set against the background of the East Bay Hills. This unique topography masked the small island and the San Francisco Bay from early explorers.

Spanish Explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.

In 1542 Antonio de Mendoza, the Viceroy of New Spain, commissioned a Spaniard named Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo to explore the northern reaches of the colony’s west coast.Following the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492, a steady stream of explorers had charted expeditions to the New World in search