Ask CNN: Why Was Alcatraz Built Where It Was?
CHRISTINE JOHNSON, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Hi, I'm Christine Johnson from Boston, Massachusetts, and I would like to ask</s>CNN: why Alcatraz was built where it was?</s>RICH WEIDEMAN, PUBLIC AFFAIRS, ALCATRAZ: Well, Christine, Alcatraz was built in the middle of San Francisco Bay, on an isolated rock about a mile and a quarter from San Francisco because of the isolation that Alcatraz had. If a prisoner tried to escape, they would hit the cold water, 48 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit, and they would have to swim. It would be a very difficult thing to do. So, they used this isolated rock to basically keep the prisoners away from the population of San Francisco.