The Rock

By Pierre Odier

The end of the line for America's most notorious gangsters; a public symbol of the ultimate confinement, America's version of Devil's Island.

The rapid growth of the gangster era during the 1920s and 1930s put tremendous pressure upon law enforcement agencies to exert control over this alarming threat. Part of the establishment's answer to this growing problem was the creation of Alcatraz Prison, an end-of-the-line confinement facility.

In "The Rock" Pierre Odier traces the history of Alcatraz Island from its discovery in 1769 to its current use as a tourist attraction. The importance of Alcatraz' history as a defense fort is overshadowed by the attention it attracted during the Federal Prison days from 1934 to 1963.

This book, The Rock, offers the first study of Alcatraz Island history. This documentation is based on extensive source materials, including the National Archives and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Interviews with wardens, officers and former Alcatraz inmates provided a personal account of life and feeling on "the Rock" during its use. Interviews with members of the original Indian occupation party of 1969 gives us a first-hand account of life on "the Rock" during the occupation.