Alcatraz island pictures history wikipedia

Alcatraz Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse —the first one built on the U. It was replaced by a taller 95 feet 29 m above mean sea level concrete tower built in to the south of the original one which was demolished after it was damaged due to earthquake in The automation of the lighthouse with a modern beacon took place in , the year Alcatraz closed as the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.

Does anyone live on alcatraz today

It is the oldest light station on the island with a modern beacon and is part of the museum on the island. Even though the Native Indians of the San Francisco area are stated to be the original settlers on the island they collected eggs from the large flock of birds that regularly gathered there , Alcatraz got its name during Spanish rule in when naval officer and explorer Juan de Ayala surveyed the harbor and the San Francisco Bay.

Since he observed pelicans in large numbers on the island he named the island as "Isla de los Alcatraces" meaning the "Island of Pelicans". The island is separated from the main land by more than 1 mile 1. The gold rush and the inherent risk of the choppy waters of the west coast prompted the urgent need for establishing lighthouses. Congress recognized the need and passed suitable acts in the years and to build seven lighthouses on the West Coast to guide navigation.

Equipment were shipped on Oriole, reached San Francisco on January 29, The Alcatraz Lighthouse was the first to be completed in July , making it the oldest major navigational light on the West Coast. However, the foundation for building the light house had begun much before the equipment reached San Francisco.