A History of Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is a small isle with a colorful history. Located in the San Francisco Bay,
the land has filled important functions for the United States since Californias Gold Rush.
Today it is best known for housing the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Alcatraz Island has
been a national recreation area since 1963.
The island first became known to Europeans in 1775. That year, Spanish naval officer
Juan de Ayala discovered it while charting the San Francisco Bay. He named the land
mass La Isla de los Alcatrices, which translates to Pelican Island.
Spain put the island under Mexicos jurisdiction. After a few sales and legal battles, the
island eventually became the property of the United States government; explorer John
Frmont purchased it on the nations behalf for $5000 in 1846.
Two years later, when gold was discovered at Sutters Mill, ships from around the world
set sail for San Francisco Bay. Sailors urgently needed a lighthouse for navigation, and
Alcatraz Island was a prime location. A lighthouse was set atop Alcatraz in 1853.
That same year, the US Army began studying the islands potential as a defense base.
The Army Corps of Engineers began a five-year fortification project in 1853. Soldiers
moved in by 1859. When the American Civil War broke out, resident soldiers mounted
more than 100 cannons around the islands perimeter. They never fired the cannons, but
they did use a guardhouse basement to imprison west coast Confederate sympathizers,
Native American Hopis, and other persons deemed threats to the Union.
Following the war, the government transitioned Alcatraz Island from a center of military
defense to a detention center. The islands isolation amidst cold water and powerful
currents made prisoner escape highly unlikely. A brick jailhouse was quickly constructed,
and long-term military prisoners were delivered there by 1868.
Alcatraz Island began housing civilian prisoners by the hundreds in 1906. This was a
result of the San Francisco earthquake; with jails destroyed on the mainland, law
enforcement needed a new secure location for the inmates. In 1907 the building was
designated the Western US Military Prison. The original lighthouse gave way to a three-
story concrete cell block in 1909. (A second lighthouse was constructed later that year.)
As a military prison, Alcatraz held a range of prisoners from convicted murderers to
World War I conscientious objectors. Those who behaved well might enjoy time
outdoors. Some even worked as servants for families who lived on the island! However,
others experienced the militarys strict discipline; punishments included solitary
confinement, severe food and water restrictions, and hard labor.
The prison drew interesting characters as Prohibition era crime developed. Famous
mobsters like Al Capone and George Machine Gun Kelly found Alcatraz was their new
home. The government responded to their especially ruthless reputations by upgrading
security. This included such additions as iron bars, metal detectors to screen visitors,
teargas canisters, and the cementing of old underground tunnels. Prisoners were closely
monitored with the issuing of one guard for every three inmates. There were also twelve
inmate countings per day!
According to prison records, no inmates successfully escaped during the penitentiarys 29
years in operation. Most people who fled the island were shot, were returned, or were
found to have drowned. Some escaped convicts are unaccounted for, but most people
assume they perished in the frigid San Francisco Bay. A $1 million recapture reward
offered by a local ferry operator remains unclaimed.
Despite the restrictions, prisoners also had recreation. By the 1920s these prisoners had
formed baseball teams, and on Fridays the Army hosted Alcatraz Fights, a tradition of
boxing matches between inmates.
The War Department closed the famous military prison in 1934. The prison had
unusually high operational costs, and waste from island residents was polluting the San
Francisco Bay. The Department of Justice assumed management until 1963.
Today, the island is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The National Park
Service provides tours. During the warmer months, tourists reach the island via a ferry
that departs San Franciscos Fishermans Wharf neighborhood. Some Alcatraz Island
attractions include the scenic bay view, the islands flora and fauna, and tours of the
famous prison.
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Camping 101: What You Need To Know
If you’ve ever been camping before, then you know how hard it is to plan a camping trip. You have to find the right location for a camp site, choose what to bring, plan for bad weather, and more. Luckily for you, planning your next camping trip can be easier thanks to the following article.
Take along plenty of drinking water. You need to stay hydrated, and you will need the water to prepare your food. Depending on the nature of your camping trip, this water may also be needed for clean-up and washing of the hands. It is better to bring along more than you need than not enough.
If you have never been camping before, then be sure to bring extra of everything. This is most important for things like food and drinks. Since you are inexperienced you may underestimate how much food you actually need. Remember, you will probably be very active, and therefore need more food than normal.
Bring your cellphone with you when you go camping. Even if you are serious about roughing it, cell phones are still very useful in emergencies and should not be left at home. A cell phone is no longer a hobby, and when you go camping it can help you reach police and emergency personnel–bring it.
Take only photos and leave only footprints. That is the rule of thumb when camping. Only use the natural resources that you need and do not leave any traces that you were camping when you leave. Pick up all trash, extinguish and cover any fire pits, bury all human waste, and make the area where you camped look exactly as it did when you found it.
Bring along multiple methods for starting a campfire when car camping. Furthermore, be sure to keep them packed in different areas so you’ll have a spare on hand if one gets wet or lost. For instance, you can pack a waterproof lighter in a backpack, some matches with your cookware, and some dry kindling in your trunk.
Especially if you live in a hotter climate, you need to make sure you know how to get ice. Ice melts rather fast, and you’re going to need more. Sometimes you can buy ice at the campsite, or sometimes at a store, but there are times when ice isn’t so close to where you’re camping.
Did you just finish an extended camping trip and what something nice and greasy to eat from the local burger shop, While it may taste delicious, you should probably ease back into fast food or else your stomach may not be too happy with you. Try to stick with healthier foods for a couple of days at least.
Hopefully after reading this article, you can have an easier time planning your camping trip. Camping is an experience that should be enjoyed by everyone, and it should be as easy as possible. Once you put the information presented here to good use, you’ll be camping with ease in no time.
TopWhat is a Travel Nurse,
What is a Travel Nurse,
A travel nurse is a licensed nurse who typically works in a hospital for a few months at a time before moving onto a different hospital in a different part of the country.
Hospitals like to hire travel nurses and other traveling health professionals for a variety of reasons. Travel nurses can bring a variety of experience and knowledge that a hospital can benefit from. Lots of times, a travel nurse can act as a mentor for other nurses that have just completed their training and are not yet comfortable and/or confident with their new professional status. Medical facility’s that have just opened will often hire the services of a travel nurse until they are up and running smoothly. The new, inexperienced staff will be able to benefit from the travel nurse’s previous work experience. Most travel nurses enjoy the experience of traveling, meeting and working with new co-workers, and hope to gain a well rounded work experience that will serve them when they settle on working full time at a specific medical facility. Many travel nurses claim that the experience allows them to develop a better understanding of their chosen specialty. These same travel nurses also claim that their unique work experiences have helped reintroduce them to patient focused nursing.
Before they start working at a new hospital, a travel nurse has already established an agreement with the hospital. This agreement states what salary the nurse will be making while she is working for the hospital. Before traveling to the new hospital the nurse knows how much of their travel expenses will be paid for. They also know where they will be living while they are working at the medical facility.
Travel nurses generally enjoy a more lucrative salary then they would receive if they worked in a single location. The salary the travel nurse earns is generally based on the location they are working; typically a travel nurse will not earn as much working in a hospital in a rural community as they will earn working in a large inner city hospital. Some nurses prefer travel nursing to nursing in a single medical facility because they enjoy the opportunity to see the world and other cultures. Working in a constantly changing location challenges a travel nurses knowledge and talents. The skills that travel nurse develop on their journeys are skills that they will be able to utilized when they settle on a home base.
Travel nurses find employment through a travel nursing service. This service pairs nurses with medical facilities that are seeking a travel nurse. The travel nursing service typically has a long and happy relationship with hospitals, medical facilities, and medical professionals. The nursing service helps reach agreements between the medical facility’s and the travel nurse. The travel nursing service will also be able to help the travel nurse make sure that they have the proper licensing to work in the state they are about to be going to.
Before a nurse can become a travel nurse there are a few professional criteria that they must complete first.
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