I took the ferry over to Alcatraz today and what a great trip it was! There were photographs everywhere I looked! What a stunning site. I have so many photos, that I will probably have to have "Alcatraz Week" when I get back home. It was perfect that it was an overcast day, so I didn't have to worry about the sun and shadows. And the grey clouds are luminous. So the first photographs is approaching the dock, showing the lighthouse and the burned-out warden's home. The home was set ablaze back during the Indian occupation back in the 1970's. But there are two versions of the story. Did some of the people that the native american occupiers allowed on the island set the fire, OR was is a government plot where agents infiltrated the group and set the fire to turn public opinion against the occupiers? The second photograph is the exercise yard with the bay and mountains in the background. Looks kind of bleak, but compared to the cells, it is a refreshing change. Today with the wind blowing off the bay, it was really cold Can you imagine this in the winter? Yikes!
I loved Alcatraz. The boat ride was the real lure for me initially, but the prison turned out to be full of history and all textures of peeling paint and echoing sounds bouncing from the cement walls and floors. I think the most interesting thing is that the people who worked there lived there with their families. Imagine! "Where did you grow up?"
ReplyDelete"Alcatraz."
Now that's a conversation starter. Fascinating stuff.
Here's a piece about one woman who lived there as a kid:
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_23785751/novato-woman-recalls-growing-up-alcatraz
and another:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/05/13/alcatraz.kids.reut/