Perched on a cold, windswept island in the middle of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz was designed to be inescapable. And for most of its prisoners, it was. But even after the federal penitentiary closed in 1963, something appears to have stayed behind. Guards, tourists, and park rangers have reported unexplained sounds and shadowy figures in the corridors long after closing. What occupied these cellblocks in life, seems to have no interest in leaving after death. 

Image of the cells in Alcatraz. Courtesy of iStock/Getty Images Plus.

Image of the cells in Alcatraz. Courtesy of iStock/Getty Images Plus.
View of San Francisco from a tiny window in Alcatraz. Courtesy of Ali ChehadE/Getty.

View of San Francisco from a tiny window in Alcatraz. Courtesy of Ali ChehadE/Getty.
Indigenous American protestors occupying Alcatraz back in 1969. Courtesy of Bettmann/Getty Images.

Indigenous American protestors occupying Alcatraz back in 1969. Courtesy of Bettmann/Getty Images.
Al Capone's mug shot at Alcatraz. Courtesy of Bettmann/Getty Images.

Al Capone's mug shot at Alcatraz. Courtesy of Bettmann/Getty Images.
The lighthouse that stood on Alcatraz. Courtesy of San Francisco Public Library.

The lighthouse that stood on Alcatraz. Courtesy of San Francisco Public Library.
Image captured by tourist, Sheila Sillery-Walsh at Alcatraz of another woman. Courtesy of News Dog Media.

Image captured by tourist, Sheila Sillery-Walsh at Alcatraz of another woman. Courtesy of News Dog Media.

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