Rare Historical Photos of The Last day of Alcatraz Prison, March 21, 1963

On March 21, 1963, Alcatraz, the most secure prison and a symbol of American justice across the nation, closed its doors for good. Frank Weatherman, a gun smuggler and jailbreaker who was the last prisoner to leave the island, gave a fitting epitaph to 29 years on the island as the most brutal federal prison in the nation.

Life Magazine sent photographer Leigh Wiener to cover a closing day at Alcatraz on March 21, 1963. The vast majority of his photographs were never published until his son Devik rediscovered them 45 years later. In 2012, the Golden Gate National Park Conservancy published Wiener’s photos in the book Alcatraz: The Last Day.

#1 Warden Blackwell Meets the Press – On March 21, 1963

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#2 West Road Guard Tower – Boats were required to stay at least 200 yards from shore.

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#3 Guard’s Housing – Penitentiary guards and their families lived on Alcatraz Island.

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#4 Convicts on Broadway – Handcuffed, shackled and chained, convicts are marched out of United States Penitentiary Alcatraz.

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#5 Convicts on Broadway – Handcuffed, shackled and chained, convicts are marched out of United States Penitentiary Alcatraz.

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#6 Convicts on Broadway – Handcuffed, shackled and chained, convicts are marched out of United States Penitentiary Alcatraz.

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#7 Recreation Yard – Weights and other recreation equipment left behind.

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#8 Guard – A correctional officer enjoys a peaceful moment on Broadway.

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#9 Guard on Broadway – With the prisoners gone from the prison, an officer takes a last quiet walk before leaving the island.

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#10 News Crews Capture the Prisoners Every Step

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#11 West Road Guard Tower & Golden Gate Bridge – After years of exposure to the elements.

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#12 West Guard Tower – The West Guard Tower stands empty for the first time in twenty-nine years.West Guard Tower – The West Guard Tower stands empty for the first time in twenty-nine years.

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#13 Guard in D-Block Gun Gallery – A correctional officer poses with his weapon in the D-Block gun gallery.

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#14 Shackled and Chained

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#15 Island Dock – Convicts board the prison launch Warden Blackwell to San Francisco.

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#16 Officer Gordon Gronzo – Correctional Officer Gordon Gronzo takes his last walk down Dock Tower steps once the launch Warden Blackwell has departed.

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#17 Officer Gordon Gronzo – Officer Gordon Gronzo holding .30-06 rifle and wearing .38 police special revolver.

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#18 Convict’s Bus – The convicts were driven by bus to the dock. In the background are the Doctor’s House (left) and the Warden’s House.

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#19 Convict’s Bus – The bus transporting convicts drives to the dock. On the left is the Warden’s House; on the right is the Lighthouse Keepers’ Quarters.

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#20 Administration Building – Correctional Officer Jim Albright escorts the last twenty-seven convicts out of the Administration Building.

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#21 Keys Were a Way of Life

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#22 Kids on C-D Street – Children of the island staff, who also lived on Alcatraz, were allowed inside the prison for the first time.

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#23 Control Center Officer – From behind two-inch bulletproof glass, guards controlled inmates’ movements throughout the prison.

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#24 Guard – An officer plays with kids on C-D Street in the empty prison.

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#25 Last Boat Ride – An anything but ordinary work day ends, as the officers return to San Francisco.

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