Guests step through cell doors to enter Alcatraz: Life on the Rock, which explores the island’s history from several angles.
- “How Do You Know Alcatraz?” offers an interactive introduction, complete with a model of the island and a look at The Rock’s place in media and movies.
- “Military History” examines Alcatraz’s role as a Civil War-era fortress and military prison.
- A recreated prison cell is the centerpiece of “Life on the Inside,” which looks at the conditions convicts experienced in Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.
- “Strength: The Native American Occupation” chronicles the 19-month occupation of Alcatraz by a group of activists.
- “Preserving the Rock” highlights the island’s current status as a national park and shares images of its lush gardens and wildlife.
Several Alcatraz alumni loaned authentic memorabilia to the exhibition, including an original letter written by Robert “Birdman” Stroud, when he was an Alcatraz prisoner; an Alcatraz shank, made from a butter knife and wrapped in electrical tape, that was taken from a prisoner in a shakedown; and an original brass key to an Alcatraz visiting room door.