The worn bars in the cell block are seen at Alcatraz Island, a 22-acre rocky outcrop situated 1.5 miles offshore in San Francisco Bay, August 11, 2011. Seventy-seven years ago on August 11, 1934, a group of federal prisoners classified as “most dangerous” arrived at the new high-security penitentiary designed to hold the most dangerous prisoners in the US penal system, especially those with a penchant for escape attempts. In r 20, 1969, a group of Native Americans called United Indians of All Tribes, mostly college students from San Francisco, occupied the island to protest federal policies related to American Indians. During the 29 years it was in use, the jail held such notable criminals as Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the Birdman of Alcatraz), George “Machine Gun” Kelly, James “Whitey” Bulger, Bumpy Johnson, Rafael Cancel Miranda, member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party who attacked the United States Capitol building in 1954, Mickey Cohen, Arthur R. “Doc” Barker and Alvin Karpis (who served more time at Alcatraz than any other inmate). Today, the island’s facilities are operated by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area; it is open to tours. AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
