Overview
It was a fort before it was a prison and a prison before it became the site of a nineteen-month occupation by Native American activists from 1969, whose graffiti has been deliberately preserved on the water tower. Thirty-six men attempted escape; five are unaccounted for, including the three who left dummy heads in their bunks in 1962 and whose fate is still formally open. The island is also a bird sanctuary, and parts close in nesting season.
Highlights
Book weeks ahead — the ferry is the only access and it sells out, especially the night tour, which is the better one. Allow three hours including the crossing. Wear a jacket: the island is exposed and colder than the city.