Alcatraz Island, in the San Francisco Bay,is one of six national monuments or parks that were in danger of being closed if the federal budget impasse has not been resolved on Friday, April 8, 2011. Residents and tourists here in the Bay Area were waiting with baited breath in the hopes that funding would continue for monuments such as Alcatraz; which is an important part of local military history.
The federal budget was approved late Friday evening and the six national monuments which were facing closure if a budget deal had not been reached are remaining open. In addition to Alcatraz, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Muir Woods, Independence Hall and the Washington Monument were set to be closed if a federal budget agreement had not been reached and a government shutdown had ensued.
Alcatraz Island became a military fort in December of 1859. The fort was used in order to prevent an enemy attack in the San Francisco Bay. Alcatraz was the largest American fort located west of the Mississippi during the Civil War. Over the years, Alcatraz served as a US Army prison for military convicts and then eventually a formal military prison.
To learn more about visiting Alcatraz, please click here.
To view photos of Alcatraz Island, please click on the slideshow to the left of this article.
