During the Gold Rush in the mid-19th century, this place began to attract a huge number of travelers. So, it was necessary to build a fort and a lighthouse. It was planned to build those facilities on a small island that was informally called Pelican Island because of a huge number of birds living there. The first lighthouse has served for over 50 years and was subsequently dismantled. In 1909, it was decided to construct a military prison and the second lighthouse, which, unlike the first, was autonomous and automatic. Later, a federal prison, which was used for keeping dangerous criminals, was built on the island.
The prison differed with strict regime. No case of escape from there was recorded for 29 years of its existence. The decision to close the prison was made in 1963. Since then, until 1971, Alcatraz Island was in ruins. It was planned to place a large federal monument on the island, but later it was just announced that an open-air museum open to public access will be open there. Each year, the unusual Alcatraz museum is visited by more than a million travelers who want to take a stroll through the territory of one of the oldest and legendary prisons of the planet.
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