Clarence Anglin

The Archives of Alcatraz In 1775, a spanish explorer named Juan Manuel De Ayala sighted the island of Alcatraz. He named it Isla de los Alcatraces, which translates to Island of the Pelicans because of the birds which call the island home. Juan Manuel de Ayala proceeded on and charted the rest of the San Francisco Bay. In 1848, the U.S. Military realized the island could be used to its tactical advantage. Two years later, president Millard Fillmore issued an executive order designating Alcatraz…