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Alcatraz prison in California, built on a small, rocky island in the Bay of San Francisco, operated from the time of the US Civil War in the 1860s until it was closed in 1963. The island’s remote location made it the perfect site for a prison, but this location also made it expensive to maintain, and the cost of maintenance finally led to its closure. During the years it operated, Alcatraz housed many infamous prisoners including Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly, but the one prisoner whose nickname is synonymous with the prison is The Birdman of Alcatraz.
Why am I telling you about Alcatraz and its prisoners? Because this episode is about Robert Stroud, better known as the Birdman of Alcatraz. You may not associate Stroud with Alaska, but he was originally incarcerated for a murder he committed in Juneau. Robert Stroud spent 54 years in prison, and he was in solitary confinement for 42 of those years. He is one of Alaska’s most famous criminals.
Sources:
Bovsun, Mara. November 10, 2019. “Justice story: How the ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’ soared to fame.” New York Daily News.
Brennan, Tom. 2001. Murder at 40 Below. Chapter 4: “Birdman of Alcatraz.” Kenmore, WA: Epicenter Press.
Ott, Tim. August 20, 2020. “Robert Stroud.” Biography.
“Robert Franklin Stroud.” n.d. Murderpedia.
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Robin Barefield lives in the wilderness on Kodiak Island, where she and her husband own a remote lodge. She has a master’s degree in fish and wildlife biology and is a wildlife-viewing and fishing guide. Robin has published six novels: Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman’s Daughter, Karluk Bones, Massacre at Bear Creek Lodge, and The Ultimate Hunt. She has also published two non-fiction books: Kodiak Island Wildlife and Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. She draws on her love and appreciation of the Alaska wilderness as well as her scientific background when writing.
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