Pier 4 Original Alcatraz Pier

Pier Four, constructed by the city of San Francisco in nineteen twenty-five, served as the primary embarkation point for those traveling to and from Alcatraz Island. Originally built as a dock for the United States Army, it became the essential link for the federal penitentiary after the Bureau of Prisons assumed control of the island in nineteen thirty-four. This pier managed the daily flow of prison staff, supplies, and authorized visitors, as well as the families of island employees and their children who traveled to the city for school.