Alcatraz marks 50th anniversary of fabled escape
The National Park Service is commemorating the 50th anniversary of one of the most fabled stories to come out of the federal prison on Alcatraz Island. On June 13, 1962, three convicted bank robbers who had dug out of their Alcatraz cells with spoons boarded a tiny raft made of raincoats, pulling off an unlikely escape from The Rock that made its way into prison lore, a book and a movie.
Officials are still trying to find whether Clarence Anglin, John Anglin or Frank Lee Morris survived the treacherous crossing of San Francisco Bay and are alive. Police and relatives of the Anglin brothers are joining a panel on the island on June 11, 2012, to explore the mystery. The prison at Alcatraz was closed in 1963, a year after the men fled. This photo taken in the 1930's shows a view of the island and penitentiary in the San Francisco Bay.