Alcatraz Wharf is located on the southeast side of

Alcatraz Island Alcatraz Island () is a small island about 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco in San Francisco Bay, California, near the Golden Gate, Golden Gate Strait. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a Alcatraz Isla ...

, in

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, US. Classified as building number 33 of the Alcatraz Island National Historic Landmark, its historic name variants were "Alcatraz Dock" and "Alcatraz Pier". It is the main access point to Alcatraz. Another dock on the island's northwest side was only used for rock loading. The wharf contained many of the islands historic buildings, including

Building 64 Building 64, also known as the Building #64 or the Building 64 Residential Apartments, was the first building constructed on the island of Alcatraz off the coast of San Francisco, USA, entirely for the purpose of accommodating the military officer ...

(Alcatraz Defensive Barracks), the Bombproof Barracks, Chinatown, Ranger Office, Garage, Dock Tower, Storage Vault, and Firebox #3.

History

The wharf, or boat dock, was established on Alcatraz in the 1850s to permit the landing of men and building materials to construct a fort completed in 1859. In 1867, the '' General McPherson'' was built to serve the island and other military institutions in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

, as Alcatraz became a long-term military prison from 1868. The steamer towed officers, prisoners and food and water supplies to island between 1867 and 1886, landing at the dock twice daily before being replaced. Alcatraz wharf

During the time as a

federal penitentiary The Federal Bureau of Prisons classifies prisons into seven categories: * United States penitentiaries * Federal correctional institutions * Private correctional institutions * Federal prison camps * Administrative facilities * Federal correcti ...

, a prisoner once attempted to escape on a boat from the boat by dressing as an officer. The Sally Port led from the dock to the original citadel on Alcatraz along a walkway, above a dry moat. Today the dock meets visitors to the museum on the island and is served by boat trips daily.

lies in front of the dock, built in 1905. In the mid-1880s, work on the wharf area was undertaken to repair it and to create coal sheds and a boathouse. The fort's engine house was located on the wharf. The oil steamer "Rosecrans," owned by the

Associated Oil Company Associated Oil Company (Flying A) was an American oil and Natural gas, gas company once headquartered in San Francisco, California and served much of the West Coast of the United States, Pacific West Coast, including Hawaii, as well as the Orient ...

, was destroyed by fire above the water line and sank in deep water off the wharf in the early 1910s. Her crew of forty-two men escaped by jumping into the bay and swimming ashore. Additionally, at just 10 years old, David Finney was the youngest person to swim to Alcatraz and back. Seismic rehabilitation of the wharf occurred in the early 2000s. The retrofit to the existing wharf and its facilities consisted of concrete demolition, excavation, and installation of tiebacks. Reinforced steel and concrete were added to a new deck. Work was also done on the deteriorated piles under the wharf deck.

References

External links

Alcatraz wharf photo
{{SFBay Ferry Terminals Alcatraz Island Wharves in the United States 1850s establishments in California Ferry terminals in the San Francisco Bay Area