The Rock

(My continuing summer 'field trip' series.)

Hannah desperately wanted to visit Alcatraz.  After reading a chapter book called Escape from Alcatraz, she was fascinated by the escape and what a real jail cell looked like. So we decided to include the Rock on our 'summer field trip' schedule.

We brought my brother (who has never been) and his wife, along with the H. family, our wonderful vacation partners who also have never been. (And I bet that some of you 'die-hard Bay Area born and raised' readers have never been also! Shame on you!)

The ferry ride was smooth and short. As we landed on the island, we were instructed to get a quick debriefing. Not only was Alcatraz home to a federal prison, but it was a meeting place for Indian activists and currently a national park for many birds.

This building greeted us at the dock. It served as the quarters for soldiers assigned to prison guard duty. It was remodeled later into apartments for correctional officers and their families. This end of the island was fenced off for the security of the families.

We watched a short documentary about the island which was very informative. Then we headed up to the Cellhouse for our self-guided audio tour. We met at the check-in where the prisoners were also checked-in, stripped down, offered one shower, and their prison uniforms and supplies. The prisoners could only shower twice a week.

Uniform pick-up

Shower 'stalls'?

Of the 1,545 men who did time on the Rock, only a handful were notorious...Al 'Scarface' Capone, 'Doc' Barker, Alvin 'Creepy' Karpis, George 'Machine Gun' Kelly, and Robert Stroud, the 'Bird Man of Alcatraz'. Most of the inmates at Alcatraz were men who had proved to be problems at other prisons. They were either escape risks or troublemakers.

What depressed the prisoners the most was that freedom was just a little over a mile away. They could sometimes hear and see the sights and sounds of the city. That was so tempting and at many times torturous.

The Rock served as a Federal Penitentiary for 29 years. During those years, 36 prisoners tried to escape  and all but 5 were recaptured. Eight were murdered by other inmates, five committed suicide and 15 died of natural causes including disease.

The Recreation Area

The Kitchen: Daily check of all the knives (check out the cut outs)

Cells Blocks B and C were for the general population.

Cell Block D - Unruly prisoners were segregated in this block which was also known as Isolation.

Solitary Confinement for the real bad ones who don't follow the rules.

You can see that the Solidarity Confinement Cells have double doors; You are literally locked in complete darkness but can still hear everything around you.

The cell was 9 by 5 ft.

Cell of an 'escapee'; he escaped out from the vent by using a spoon to dig himself out.

Out of the 14 escape attempts, the best known was in June 1962 when Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin broke out of their cells through enlarged air vents. They left dummy heads in their beds. They climbed to the top of the cellblock and onto the roof along a ventilator shaft. They climbed down a cast-iron stovepipe, entered the water with floatation devices made from raincoats and were never seen again.

They got out through here from their cell.

We met a former guard (the youngest who worked there) who was autographing his book about his experiences at the Rock.

Hannah was captivated by his stories!

He left after working three years at the prison to be sent to Korea to fight in that war.

The prison closed in 1963 due to the high cost of operating and maintaining it. Note it did not even have a sewage system. Today, Alcatraz is a part of the National Park Service.

The modern 'Super Max' federal prison equivalent to Alcatraz today is in Florence, Colorado. The ADX (United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility) Florence only houses the most dangerous prisoners and prisoners are in solitary confinement 23 hours a day for at least the first year. Current prisoners are ones that were involved with the World Trade Center bombing and other terrorist attacks. That prison was an interesting read also.

Lindsey Wildlife Museum

(My continuing summer 'field trip' series.)

We headed to Walnut Creek's Lindsey Wildlife Museum, a museum that has a hospital for injured animals. It is mainly a rehabilitate museum and houses local animals that were injured so severely that they could not be let back into the wild. They have many beautiful birds: a bald eagle, various barn owls, a turkey vulture, and a raven. It was a very educational experience because there were many volunteers available to talk about each animal that was housed there; how they got there and what happened to them.

This bald eagle was found in Montana after it hit a power line. It lost one wing so it was brought over to the museum.

This large common raven was found as a juvenile in the Bay Area. She was brought to the hospital where she was treated for a wing injury. Her wing did not heal well enough for her to fly so she stayed at the museum since 1990.

This Virgina opossum was born with three legs and has lived at the museum since 2009.

This desert cottontail was hit by a car in 2007. It suffered head trauma and an injury to his front leg making him unable to quickly flee from danger.

This band-tailed pigeon was rescued after flying into a window in Orinda. She was treated at their wildlife hospital for an injured wing. Even though her wing was healed, she can't fly well enough to live in the wild. They named her "Orinda" and has been living at the museum since 2008.

This ground squirrel was found and raised by people in their home. When released she would dig back into the house to be with 'her' family. Because she isn't afraid of humans and not afraid of potential predators, she cannot live in the wild.

The turkey vulture was shot in Arizona and his right wing had to be amputated. The bird developed arthritis in his leg and is treated regularly with medications at the museum. It was fascinating watching the turkey vulture eat.  His food is hidden under the leaves in his cage. We saw him find and eat four little white mice. He just tore them apart with his beak and swallowed their body pieces. He has a featherless head .. Why? Emily knew the answer (she learned it from the PBS show, Fetch).. So that their head feathers don't get all dirty while they eat their prey.

These owls were my favorite of all the animals displayed. The one in the front was so fluffy and huge!

The volunteers brought out a tortoise.. which is different that a turtle. Tortoises are land dwelling reptiles of the turtle family. But they have feet. Their marine cousins, the sea dwelling turtles, have flippers or webbed feet. This one was at least 60 years old and they can live up to 150 years. Tortoises can go without water for a year since it gets its fluid from what they eat.

It was a quick visit. It took us two hours and that's including eating lunch.
They are doing a remodel now of the museum and is expected to finish by end of September.

(Photo credit go to my daughter, Emily, who took most of these pictures. )

SF Maritime National Historical Park

(My continuing summer 'field trip' series.)

The ships are on the Hyde Street Pier across from Ghiradelli Square. The Pier was built in 1922 for automobile ferries between SF and Sausalito. The only way to drive north from SF was to cross the bay on a ferryboat. This ferry route was a part of Highway 101 until the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937. Today the Pier is home to various historic vessels where you can board and see first hand what it did and how people lived on them.

There were four vessels we could check out: a ferry, schooner, ship and tugboat. We explored all of them except the tugboat.

First was the Eureka, a steam-engined ferry. Originally built to ferry trains across the bay, this vessel  was rebuilt in 1922 to serve passengers and automobiles. They had classic cars and trucks displayed on the lower deck. This ferryboat has two wheelhouses one on each side of the ship.

Next, we saw a 100-year old schooner, the CA Thayer, a three-masted schooner which was under restoration due to rapid disintegration. Thayer is one of only two West Coast lumber schooners left in existence. This schooner was the first lumber schooner to haul Douglas fir and other raw materials to various cities in California.

Last, we saw the 1886 ship, Balclutha. This cargo ship was built in Great Britain and brought coal and general cargo from Europe and returning with California grain. The crew lived on board for months at a time during the treacherous voyage around Cape Horn. Later the Balclutha went on to supply Alaska fisheries in the late 1800s and early 1900s carrying men and supplies to canneries and bringing back salmon.

The deck house contained the galley, carpenter shop as well as the quarters for apprentices and the bosun, sailmaker, carpenter and cook who were considered among the hardest workers of the crew.

This was the kitchen and the cook lived and slept right next to this room.

Cook's teeny tiny room next to the kitchen.

A livestock pen was located right next to the cook's quarters and kitchen. It was necessary to carry livestock and chickens to provide fresh meat and eggs during long voyages.

On the Balcutha, the most hated task at sea was pumping water out of a leaky vessel. It was a regular part of the days' work on these wooden ships. Pumping was hard, monotonous work.

These were the crew members living quarters. Some could not fit an average-sized man. The spaces were narrow and short.

This bunk area was always wet and cold. Not a 5-star establishment.

The captain's wife made due with what she had on the long voyages on the ship. She created a little parlor on the ship that reminded her of home. (Not that she had anyone to entertain on the voyage.)

The Chinese Exclusion Act made it impossible for most Chinese to immigrate so one option was to join the "China Gang" workers who boarded the ships to do manual labor: they gutted and cleaned the salmon by hand. These men were crammed on the forward end of the ship segregated by ethnicity. They persevered despite the harsh living conditions and repressive labor practices. There was unequal treatment amongst the different ethnicities. The Chinese were at the bottom of the social scale.. ate in rusty tin dishes, got two meals a day without butter, fruit, dessert, vegetables and milk. They had to buy jam and butter while it was free to the Italian and Scandinavian crewmen who lived above deck.

The Chinese were situated apart from the other crew members below deck and on the other end of the ship.

Salmon was a very desirable food of trade.

After exploring the ships, we crossed the street to visit the Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory where they still make the chocolate there today.

Japanese American Museum

(My continuing summer 'field trip' series.)

My sister wanted to check out the new Japanese American Museum so her boys can know a little bit about their Japanese heritage. It was a very nicely organized and detailed museum depicting the Internment period for the Japanese in America.

The building is modeled after a rural Japanese farmhouse. The Museum highlights how Japanese Americans have struggled to adapt and contribute to the US for over a century. Exhibits feature early settlers, farm and community life and a range of WWII experiences including the forced removal from the Pacific Coast, incarceration in the interior of the country, military service, and post war resettlement and reintegration into society.

After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, war was declared with Japan. And the government decided to gather all Japanese persons (even if they were American citizens and/or if you were only part Japanese) because they were considered 'dangerous'. The Japanese were only allowed to bring enough belongings that they can carry and had to sell off or give away everything else including their home and any other assets.

They first boarded trains to temporary Assembly Centers until more permanent Camps were built away from the Pacific Coast. They would spend the next three years in these Camps. This order eliminated the constitutional protection of due process and violated the Bill of Rights for hundreds of thousands of Japanese American citizens.

I can only imagine that this was a torturous time for them.. probably not as bad as how the Nazi's treated the Jews but probably as close as it can get. Unfortunately today, racism still exists; stereotypes still are believed.  My girls have attended a multi-ethnic church and a very ethnically mixed school their whole lives. The color of their friend's skin doesn't mean anything to them. They are more conscious of one's behavior and actions than the way they look. But this is the Bay Area, a melting pot. I am sure that if we venture out of our Golden State into the Mid-West we would be treated differently.

I now understand why the Japanese-Americans were probably (I think) the most assimilated ethnic group in America. Before they left, they were told to rid of everything 'Japanese' not only physical things but everything that represented their culture: their language, accents, their foods, their hobbies, traditions etc.. Now the Japanese-Americans strive to retain their traditional cultures through preserving their lands such as Japantown (which there are only three in the nation existing: San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles).

Our docent explained to us that there was a great sense of urgency for the Japanese to comply with government orders.

Discussing the removing and relocating all of whom is of Japanese decent

There were 10 War Relocation Authority Camps and one Internment camp throughout the United States.

Everyone was 'tagged' with their name and a number. My sister found a few with her husbands' family name.

Tule Lake is located at the most north county of California. It was here that the largest and most controversial of the ten War Relocation Authority camps existed. This particular camp was the only one that was turned into a high-security segregation center ruled under martial law and occupied by the Army.

This camp interned Japanese-Americans that were deemed potential enemies of America because of their response to a loyalty questionnaire which intended to distinguish loyal American citizens from enemy alien supporters of Japan. Answering "No" or refusal to answer to either of these two questions: "Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered?" and "Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States and faithfully defend the United States from any or all attack by foreign or domestic forces and forswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese emperor or any other foreign government, power, or organization?" were viewed as proof of disloyalty and potential troublemakers. Now many may have answered 'No' due to not clearly understanding the question or to protest their incarceration.

The most tragic and divisive issue was created when Public Law 405 was passed by Congress and signed by President Roosevelt that allowed Japanese Americans in Tule Lake to renounce their citizenship in wartime. To do so meant to be expatriated to Japan or if remained in the US, you are stripped of citizenship and became as powerless as Native American aliens.

Many who renounced their citizenship did so for various reasons: some feared that they would be forced into hostile American communities with no money, no promise or income and no place to live. Army personnel told them they could remain safe in Tule Lake until the war ended if they renounced their US citizenship. Some had intense pressure from their non-citizen immigrant parents to renounce in order to keep the family together in case the Issei (immigrant generation) were deported after the war. Some (who thought the US was losing in the war) thought they had to renounce in order to prepare for life in victorious Japan. Some renounced to avoid being drafted by the country that imprisoned them and their families. Nevertheless, when the war ended there was a mass deportation of the thousands who denounced. The majority sought restoration of their citizenship due to their misunderstanding of what they were giving up. Eventually, Congress repealed this law in 1971.

Although absolved by the government, these Japanese Americans who either answered No to the loyalty questions or renounced their citizenship were stigmatized and ostracized for their choices. Consequently they speak little about their life in the Segregation Center, a time and place filled with feelings of stigma and shame.

My sister's in-laws were interned in these Camps. They were children at that time but they still vividly remember those experiences, ones that they do not like to talk about.

This is an exact replica of a Tule Lake Relocation/Segregation Center barracks room.

Japantown has become a museum in of itself with many reminders of who and where the Japanese came from...

.. and what they endured by the hands of the US government. 

In JTown, The BEST mochi you will ever eat will come from here!