Seized at the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848 by the government, plans were set forth to turn Alcatraz into a military defense fortress to protect San Francisco.  Construction began in 1854, and five years later, Alcatraz received her first prisoners.  Eleven anonymous soldiers held the honor for unknown crimes.  It became an official military prison of the Pacific in 1861, and by 1868, society's worst joined them.

With 1934, a new label -- that of the most-feared maximum security prison in the country.  The most hardened criminals feared the fate of Alcatraz.  It was cold, harsh, brutal, and it drove prisoners crazy to be alienated from the outside world.

Escape was impossible, though many attempted, usually returned with a frigid, rough current.  Among the first brought to the island were those convicted for everything from sodomy to robbery.  Numbered 1 to 32, it wasn't until number 85 strolled through the doors that the Rock saw her first infamous criminal, Al Capone.

Armed guards toting machine guns kept things under control for the most part, if not by the threat of their presence, then by the violent actions they took against insolents.  After beatings by several guards at a time, men would be confined to D-block, and let out for a 10 minute shower every seven days.  This punishment often came on the heels of something as minor as speaking during meals.  It's no wonder the prisoners compared Alcatraz to Hell.

Over the years, many movies were made with Alcatraz as a setting, perhaps none as poignant as Murder in the First, starring Kevin Bacon as abused prisoner Henry Young.  The basis of the movie is that Young was driven to murder by the prison and abuse, and therefore shouldn't be held accountable for the action.  The movie portrays the trial as the ultimate reason behind the closing of the prison.  Young was a real prisoner there, and while good for drama, the character arrested for stealing a loaf of break to feed his starving sister couldn't be further from the truth.

In fact, Young was arrested for armed robbery when the tire of the getaway car blew out.  Many years later, after he murdered fellow inmate Rufus McCain (the convict killed in the movie by Young), he confessed to killing a baker prior to the armed robbery.  Other aspects of the movie were true, including "the Hole," prisoner treatment, and abuse.  However, the movie states that Young died shortly after the trial, upon his return to the island.  He did not, and later finished serving his time in Missouri and Washington.  Eventually, he was granted parole and may be still alive today.

Unfortunately, many others succumbed to death at Alcatraz.  Some are still lingering, and have been wreaking havoc since before the prison closed in 1963 at the hands of Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

During the mid-1940's, a prisoner was locked in "the Hole" (cells 9-14 on Cell Block D, nicknamed such due to the blackness from lack of windows in these cells).  In seconds, he screamed that someone was in there with him -- someone with red, glowing eyes!  Guards ignored him and the screams through the night.  By morning, the screams stopped.  Guards found the prisoner dead, a horrified expression frozen on his face.  The autopsy showed he was strangled to death... and that he didn't inflict it upon himself.  Amazingly, the deceased convict was seen and counted in a routine line-up the following day, and vanished into thin air while the guard stared at him in disbelief.

It wasn't unusual for guards to experience odd things, nor is it unusual for tourists today.  People have heard sobbing, moaning, seen the red glowing eyes, experienced slimy cold spots and horrible putrid odors.  There have been screams, phantom cannon shots and flickers of light from the long-ago demolished lighthouse.

Cell 14-D, in "the Hole," seems to be an epicenter for supernatural run-ins.  It is always several degrees colder than the areas around it.  Psychics who have visited the cell complain of tragedy and despair.  Many experience the feeling of their hair standing on end, due to feelings of being watched.

Yet another area of strong activity is the Utility Hall in Block C.  Three prisoners were gunned down there during an attempted escape.  A total of 17 guards were injured, two were killed, and later, two more convicts were tried and executed for their participation.

Each of the cell blocks seem to have a certain amount of mysteries.  Enough disturbances in Cell Block C caused Park Service workers to call in psychics.  They determined the activity came from the violent ghost of Abie Maldowitz.  Nicknamed "the Butcher" in life, he was a hit man for the mob.  At Alcatraz, he was killed in the laundry room by another inmate.

People of varied professions and opinions have long since stated that the island holds an energy of it's own.  It may be spiritual, energized by the many ghosts.