Alcatraz Island (aka The Rock) is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California, United States that served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, and then a federal prison for the area until 1969, when it became a national recreation area.br/>
Today, the island is a historic site supervised by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is open to tours. Visitors can reach the island by ferry ride from Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. It is listed as a National Historic Landmark. The United States Census Bureau defines the island as Block 1067, Block Group 1, Census Tract 179.02 of San Francisco County, California. There was no population on the island as of the 2000 census.

It is home to the now abandoned prison, the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States, early military fortifications, and natural features such as rock pools, a seabird colony (mostly Western Gulls, cormorants, and egrets), and unique views of the coastline. (Source: Wikipedia)

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The National Park Service website for Alcatraz Island:http://www.nps.gov/alcatraz/

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