Stuff That Happened

About 1.25 miles off the shore of San Francisco, California lies Alcatraz Island, the location of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, also known as the Rock. The prison operated from 1934 to 1963 and was considered by many to escape-proof due to the high security of the prison and surrounding cold waters and strong currents of the San Francisco Bay. It also had a reputation of the toughest prison in the country and former prisoners reported horrific and inhumane conditions that tested the sanity of even the toughest men. It is no surprise then that, despite the location, many prisoners attempted an escape to freedom. The first man to attempt an escape from Alcatraz, Joseph Bowers The first man to make such an attempt was Joseph Bowers, who was serving a 25-year sentence for stealing about 16 dollars from the Postal Service. In April of 1936, Bowers was feeding birds next to a chain link fence when he suddenly began climbing it in attempt to scale it. He ignored the guards who yelled at