Eldorado Posted February 27, 2014 #1 Share Posted February 27, 2014 ""I think most people know that in 1848 gold was discovered in California, and before that time San Francisco was really a very small town," explains Jason Hagen, the historical architect for the National Park Service, which looks after the island. "But once gold was discovered here, San Francisco became a very important port for the country and for the west coast, and so protecting it really was the point of building the fortress of Alcatraz." The island's strategic value became even more important with the outbreak of the American civil war in 1861. Alcatraz was transformed into a military installation, complete with barracks and gun batteries." Full article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26233170 Interesting article with great pics I thought I'd share. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolguy Posted February 28, 2014 #2 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Very cool I did not know it was an army base 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taniwha Posted February 28, 2014 #3 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Very cool I did not know it was an army base yeah I agree very cool. I just found it housed over 100 heavy cannons! It was more a battleship than an island. This is a fun way to manipulate Alcatraz and its features. You can get a great sense of the points of interest.... and plan an escape at the same time lol. http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&cp=37.82667~-122.42222&style=o&lvl=15&sp=Point.37.82667_-122.42222_Fort_Alcatraz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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