By the time Swope stepped off the prison launch onto Alcatraz, he had already served in various Warden appointments in a prison service career that spanned more than eighteen years. Swope had worked at the State Penitentiary in New Mexico, and at the federal penitentiaries at McNeil Island, Terre Haute, Indiana, and Englewood, Colorado. He had been credited with turning around McNeil, and he was the first choice of Bureau Director James Bennett when making his selection for Johnston’s replacement.
Warden Johnston proved to be a tough act to follow, and Swope made many decisions that were unpopular with the correctional officers. In one instance he removed the stools from the tower posts, and in another, he forced the officers to serve meals to inmates during a strike. A fair number of officers ultimately became resentful of Swope’s leadership style. The guards usually contested his decisions and won, but Swope maintained his firm headship. Former Officer and Captain of the Guard Phil Bergen recalled:
Swope was a tough act. I can’t say that I ever liked him. He lived and died by the rules, and he didn’t let the inmates get away with killing a fly, or even the officers for that matter. I can remember working in D-Block and Swope would check the “Hole” cells and make sure that the lights were left off by the officers, and the fronts closed. He wanted to make sure those men did hard time.
Although many of his decisions were not well received, Swope also instituted several inmate programs that proved popular with the inmate population. In his first year he arranged for the inmates to see two movies per month, and loosened censorship to allow westerns and an occasional wartime film. Comedies featuring actors such as Shirley Temple and Laurel and Hardy had been the most common style of films selected by Johnston and the Chaplain. Swope also increased recreation time on weekends, and extended visitation privileges.
Warden Paul Joseph Madigan: 1955-1961
Paul J. Madigan, the third Warden of Alcatraz.
Paul Madigan, pictured here with his wife, advanced through the ranks at Alcatraz. He had previously held a variety of positions including Captain, Lieutenant, and Associate Warden. Madigan had a very diplomatic style of leadership with staff and inmates alike.
Prior to his appointment as Warden, Paul Madigan had navigated his way through a variety of positions at Alcatraz. Therefore his perspective was unlike that of any of his predecessors. Madigan had originally transferred to Alcatraz from Leavenworth as a correctional officer. He was well liked by most of the correctional staff at Alcatraz, having been promoted through the ranks, and having served in various appointments including Captain, Lieutenant, and later Associate Warden. Madigan had a unique and diplomatic approach in his directorship. He possessed the skills of a soft-spoken mediator, and when necessary, he was not afraid to issue unpopular directives to both the staff and the inmate population. Madigan challenged the old regime of Alcatraz. He abolished the solitary confinement bread and water diet, and on one occasion, encouraged inmates in good standing to donate blood to the Irwin Memorial Blood Bank in San Francisco.
Madigan was also credited with preventing the 1941 escape of Joe Cretzer, Sam Shockley, Arnold Kyle and Lloyd Barkdoll. He skillfully talked the inmates into surrendering after he had been tied up and threatened. By the time the other officers were alerted to the escape attempt and had arrived to assist him, Madigan had already convinced the desperate inmates to give themselves up, and was escorting them up to the Treatment Unit.
Madigan carried the affectionate nickname of “Promising Paul,” which was given to him by other officers, since he frequently made promises that would never be fulfilled. Nevertheless, Madigan was considered a great Warden by most of those who worked with him. He was a devout Catholic and attended mass with the inmates in the prison chapel. He was also credited with adding cigars to the inmates’ Christmas gift packages, and creating special holiday meals for the general population. In late 1941, following the escape attempt of Cretzer, Barkdoll, Kyle and Shockley, Madigan was promoted to the post of Associate Warden at the Terminal Island Federal Correctional Facility in Southern California. He later received another promotion, and transferred to Minnesota. He returned to serve at Alcatraz from 1955 until 1961, and then he accepted a transfer to McNeil Island. Prior to his departure, he would appoint Associate Warden Blackwell to be his successor.
Warden Olin G. Blackwell: 1961-1963
The last Warden of Alcatraz, Olin Blackwell. Over his brief term as Warden, he relaxed numerous longstanding strict regulations, including those regarding censorship and visitation limits.
Deputy Director of the Bureau of Prisons Fred T. Wilkinson and Alcatraz Warden Olin Blackwell on March 23, 1963, the day Alcatraz closed.
Warden Blackwell pictured at the wheel of a motorized cart that he used to travel about the island.
The Warden’s office, located inside the prison administration area.
Olin Blackwell would become the last Warden of Alcatraz on November 26, 1961. A former rancher from Texas, Blackwell had come to Alcatraz from Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania where he had served as a Captain and Associate Warden. Blackwell was nicknamed “Blackie” and often signed his name as such. He was only forty-six years old when he accepted the position of Warden at Alcatraz. He possessed a softer style than his predecessors in his approach, and was described by officers as being “very warm, with a coy sense of humor.” He relaxed many of the strict rules that weighed heavy on the inmates for decades, which included allowing a greater variety of radio programs and relaxing regulations on reading and mail censorship.
During his brief appointment at Alcatraz, Blackwell was faced with a myriad of challenges. The prison was old and starting to show visible signs of structural problems, as well as deterioration of the primary utility systems. The lack of funding led to a reduction of staff, which left critical observation posts unmanned. Some criticized Blackwell for allowing such reductions to occur and many believed that without them, the final two escapes at Alcatraz could have been prevented. Blackwell was generally evasive when responding to these allegations, implying that the escapes had resulted from simple human failures. Blackwell would prepare Alcatraz for its ultimate destiny in 1963.
Family Life
Despite living next door to the nation’s most notorious criminals, children found that growing up on Alcatraz was similar to being raised in any small town, with only a few exceptions. For examples, the children were never allowed to play with toy guns or knives.
Perhaps even more interesting than the prison itself were the families of the officers who resided on Alcatraz. During any given period the island was home to over fifty such families, with nearly one hundred children. The daily life of families on Alcatraz was unique and they were not unaffected by the strict rules that governed island operations. But on reflection, those who lived and grew up on the island have mostly considered it a rare and privileged lifestyle. Despite their own isolation from society and the inherit tensions of crowded living, they found that life on Alcatraz was like residing in a small and very close-knit community. Even more interesting was the fact that there was no crime on the island; no one locked their doors and the residents never carried their house keys. The families were kept fully isolated and fenced off from the prison, though its presence was continually evident.
Officers who resided on the island considered Alcatraz the safest place to raise a family in San Francisco. One former resident commented: “There was no crime in our neighborhood, we knew where all of the criminals were.” Pictured here are four children posing atop one of the fortress era Rodman Cannons left on the island.
Family life on Alcatraz was hidden from the public until 1954, when Colliers Magazine published a series of photographs by William Woodfield depicting life behind the curtain.
Two young girls playing with their pet parakeet inside their apartment, located in Building #64. No dogs or cats were allowed as pets. The cellblock is clearly visible through the apartment window. The prison was a constant presence in the lives
of both the officers and their families.
One of the most popular games for youngsters was “guards and cons.” Toy guns and knives were strictly prohibited in any form, but the children made due using a banana or a stick as a stand-in. Wind sports were also popular. Using a jacket or sheet as a sail and wearing roller-skates, the children could sail across the parade ground when the sometimes-forceful Bay winds blew across the island. There was also a baseball diamond on the cement parade ground, as well as a standard playground area with ocean sand and a tennis court. Although at least one kindergarten class was held on the island, there were no schools on Alcatraz and the children would attend classes on the mainland, traveling back and forth daily via the prison launch. The Alcatraz children were very popular among their teachers and classmates. Everyone was interested to hear about what life was like at Alcatraz, and teachers were always encouraging the children to give class presentations. Kathryn O’Brien lived at Alcatraz for approximately two years, and fondly recalled:
I used to tease my friends and make up stories that worked to my advantage. I would tell them that Machine Gun Kelly waved good-bye to me through the bars that morning, or if one of my friends was getting picked on by a school bully, I’d warn them that I knew a lot of convicts and that they’d better watch it! Of course I didn’t really ever come close to the inmates, but it really worked. My friends rarely got picked on.
The fact that the only access to Alcatraz was by boat created special challenges for the residents. Few families owned automobiles, since most shopping was within walking distance of the Van Ness Pier. Fisherman’s Wharf was just a short walk, and the special Alcatraz boarding pier also boasted a special waiting room for residents and officers. Since navigation techniques of the era were relatively primitive, heavy fog or rough waters would suspend or delay launch operations, and occasionally a family would get stranded on the mainland.
Alcatraz sponsored several social clubs, including an all-girls club for teenagers called “Just Us Girls,” and kids’ clubs for the younger residents.
A children’s Sunday School class.
The small convenience store run by residents inside Building #64.
Alcatraz had its own post office and unique postmark.
Playground equipment built for the officers’ children by prison labor at Alcatraz. The cement slide was a favorite among the children, but was finally scrapped after the exposed steel at the slide’s edge tore a fair share of children’s clothing.
Alcatraz featured several recreational facilities for residents, including an indoor handball court, a pool hall, a two-lane bowling alley in the Officers’ Club, a soda fountain often manned by off-duty guards, a gymnasium, and a dance hall for island parties.
A teenage Christmas dance held inside the Officer’s Club.
Former resident Chuck Stucker recalled that some of his fondest memories were of fishing off Alcatraz as a child.
In August of 1954, Collier’s Magazine ran a feature story by Gitta Parker entitled Children on Alcatraz, describing their unique lifestyle:
The children and their parents occupy apartments and cottages dotting a four-acre section on the south tip of Alcatraz. Three hundred feet of distance and a barrier of steel towers, concrete walls, and armed men separate the circle of homes from the prison heights. From their windows, the happy boys and girls of Alcatraz have an unequaled view of one of the world’s great panoramas: the breathtaking Golden Gate and the cities perched around the Bay. Much closer at hand, they look down to the bottom of the island and glimpse convicts loading wash from the prison laundry onto barges for delivery to nearby government installations. Otherwise, the only prisoners the children see are the three or four trustees assigned to collect garbage and tend gardens in the residential area.
Although it was uncommon, there were some unavoidable instances when a resident would come in contact with an inmate. One former resident recalled an occasion when he had thrown a ball over a link fence and an inmate passed it back a few days later. Another remembered an incident when an inmate was tending a garden and left a small flower bouquet with a perfectly tied ribbon made from a vine on a cement step. The families were instructed that if they should come in contact with an inmate, they were to treat him respectfully, but not engage in conversation. Kathryn O’Brien related one interesting story:
“I have a vivid memory inside our apartment located in Building #64. I can remember seeing a small group of inmates chained in handcuffs and leg irons, and were being led from the prison boat to a small bus. My brother and me watched from a window as the inmates took small steps with the chains hampering their movement, and we could hear the guards talking to them. Thinking back, I guess it was kind of scary... I had made one of those colored paper link chain ornaments that I made in crafts for our little Christmas tree. I took it off the tree and had my brother place his hands and feet through the links and marched him around the apartment like he was a convict. I can remember my dad didn’t think it was too funny... You couldn’t help be influenced by the prison to at least some degree. It was a constant presence. Strangely enough though, my dad never talked about it. Even after he left the job, he always changed the subject when people would ask him questions about Alcatraz.”
Gardens flourished on Alcatraz in the moist and rich ocean breeze. Gardening was one of the preferred pastimes among the island residents.
Childhood resident Jackie Burdett is seen here posing next to one of the neighborhood flower gardens in 1938.
The garden located in the Warden’s side yard.
Mug shots of inmate and prison gardener Elliott Michener. It is believed that Michener was responsible for introducing many rare and unique botanical varieties to the Alcatraz landscape.
The new apartment buildings under construction in 1941, with San Francisco and the Bay Bridge notably visible in the background.
The new apartment buildings as they appeared in the 1950’s.
An aerial photograph with the residential living quarters in prominent view. Note the lawn and garden perimeter of the Associate Warden and Captain of the Guard duplex (bottom center of the parade ground), and the four officers’ cottages (right).
The duplex that housed the Associate Warden and Caption of the Guards.
Like their neighbors living “up top” in the cellhouse, the families were also subject to firm rules. The residents were not allowed to explore the island, and could only venture into approved non-restricted areas. No dogs or cats were allowed and there were strict curfews. Family members were required to stay at home after 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and after 11:00 p.m. on weekends. If anyone missed the last boat from the mainland, they would be stranded in San Francisco until morning. The families’ lives were governed by the boat schedule. There was only one telephone available for island residents to use, though another was added later. There was a post office, and also a small convenience store that carried a very basic variety of household foods and supplies. Phil Bergen would comment about life at Alcatraz:
“You never had to worry about someone knocking on your door and trying to sell you a vacuum cleaner, and the parents never worried about their children when they were outside playing. We knew exactly where all of the criminals were. It was a special place to raise a family. I consider my sixteen years at Alcatraz the best years of my life.”
The recreational activities available at Alcatraz were plentiful. There were ballet classes for the officers’ daughters, an indoor handball court, a two-lane bowling alley in the Officers’ Club, a soda fountain often manned by off-duty guards, a pool hall, a gymnasium and a dance hall for island parties. There was a women’s club, a club for the young adult girls called Just Us Girls (J.U.G.s), and a kids’ club for the youngest residents. The most popular activities for the island families were the holiday events. There were Christmas musicals, a special Santa Claus visit, and even shows for Halloween. Special dances were held frequently for both the officers and the teenagers, and talent shows were always a t
own favorite. During the 1950’s the Women’s Club printed cookbooks that were advertised in Sunset Magazine. Profits from the book sales help fund the special events. As one resident would remember: “People would buy the cookbooks as gifts just so they could collect the Alcatraz Postmark.”
The unique location of Alcatraz also provided residents with a special perk that most men would envy. As former resident Chuck Stucker would recall: “Alcatraz was the best fishing site in San Francisco. ” Stucker had many fond childhood memories of fishing with his father, who retired as a Lieutenant, and with an uncle who served as both a Captain and Associate Warden, as well as with a cousin who worked as an officer. But most unique were his memories of fishing with Warden Madigan’s wife, who also enjoyed the sport.
Several family members would also have a very rare opportunity to see behind the secret curtain that veiled the workings of the prison. Before the prison staff returned the motion pictures that were shown to the inmates every two weeks, the families would be taken in a large group into the upstairs theatre to have their turn to watch the films. While waiting in the visiting area before being led upstairs, the residents could peek through the thick bulletproof glass and get a rare glimpse into the cellhouse.
Alcatraz: A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years Page 15