Join us for Living History Day on Alcatraz. All activities are free and are designed to give the visitor a sense of what life was like on Alcatraz when it was an important seacoast defensive fort during the American Civil War.
Authors Ken Widner and Mike Lynch will return to the Rock for a three-day book signing event on Alcatraz Island, spotlighting their bestselling book “Alcatraz: The Last Escape.”
Among the surviving ornmental plants are daffodils, fuchsias, agapanthus, pelargoniums, various succulents, fig trees, apple trees, walnut trees, artichokes, scented bearded iris and roses.
Resident families introduced roses to Alcatraz during the military era, between 1850 and 1934. Surprisingly, roses thrived under these conditions and soon filled Alcatraz’s first gardens.
Albert Smith, found guilty of four counts of robbery, was sentenced to serve 10 to 24 years in prison. He was sent to Alcatraz in 1945 after an attempted escape, and began work duties as a gardener the following year.
Richard Franseen was sentenced to Alcatraz from 1937 to 1946 for counterfeiting. By 1940, he was assigned to yard duties, tending to a greenhouse and a little garden.
After being sentenced for counterfeiting in 1941, Elliott Michener was involved in an escape plot from Leavenworth Prison and then sent to Alcatraz. He spent years on the island's west side creating cottage-style gardens.
