Legends of Alcatraz Legends of Alcatraz Located in the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz Island and Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary have been cited as one of the most haunted places in America, and also as the most haunted prison in the country. The Native Americans mentioned the evil spirits they purportedly encountered on the island long before it became a federal prison. Mark Twain documented the eerie atmosphere of the island after visiting it, described it as "being as cold as winter, even in the summer months." Prisoners, rangers and visitors have reported a wide range of alleged ghostly activity on Alcatraz, from whispering in
Battle of Alcatraz cellblock. Joe Cretzer was a west coast gangster and member of the Cretzer-Kyle Gang. In 1940 he was sentenced to 25 years for murder. After two escape attempts in the first months of his incarceration, one of which resulted in another murder charge, he was transferred to Alcatraz. In May 1941, Cretzer, Shockley and two other convicts made an escape attempt from one of the prison's workshops. Carnes was the youngest prisoner to reside at Alcatraz, having been convicted of murder in 1943 at the age of 16. He made a number of escape attempts and by 1946, when he