Warden Olin G. Blackwell: 1961-1963

The last Warden of Alcatraz, Olin Blackwell. Over his brief term as Warden, he relaxed numerous longstanding strict regulations, including those regarding censorship and visitation limits.

Deputy Director of the Bureau of Prisons Fred T. Wilkinson and Alcatraz Warden Olin Blackwell on March 23, 1963, the day Alcatraz closed.

Warden Blackwell pictured at the wheel of a motorized cart that he used to travel about the island.

The Warden’s office, located inside the prison administration area.

Olin Blackwell would become the last Warden of Alcatraz on November 26, 1961. A former rancher from Texas, Blackwell had come to Alcatraz from Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania where he had served as a Captain and Associate Warden. Blackwell was nicknamed “Blackie” and often signed his name as such.  He was only forty-six years old when he accepted the position of Warden at Alcatraz. He possessed a softer style than his predecessors in his approach, and was described by officers as being “very warm, with a coy sense of humor.”  He relaxed many of the strict rules that weighed heavy on the inmates for decades, which included allowing a greater variety of radio programs and relaxing regulations on reading and mail censorship.

During his brief appointment at Alcatraz, Blackwell was faced with a myriad of challenges. The prison was old and starting to show visible signs of structural problems, as well as deterioration of the primary utility systems. The lack of funding led to a reduction of staff, which left critical observation posts unmanned. Some criticized Blackwell for allowing such reductions to occur and many believed that without them, the final two escapes at Alcatraz could have been prevented. Blackwell was generally evasive when responding to these allegations, implying that the escapes had resulted from simple human failures.  Blackwell would prepare Alcatraz for its ultimate destiny in 1963.

Family Life

Despite living next door to the nation’s most notorious criminals, children found that growing up on Alcatraz was similar to being raised in any small town, with only a few exceptions. For examples, the children were never allowed to play with toy guns or knives.

Perhaps even more interesting than the prison itself were the families of the officers who resided on Alcatraz. During any given period the island was home to over fifty such families, with nearly one hundred children. The daily life of families on Alcatraz was unique and they were not unaffected by the strict rules that governed island operations. But on reflection, those who lived and grew up on the island have mostly considered it a rare and privileged lifestyle. Despite their own isolation from society and the inherit tensions of crowded living, they found that life on Alcatraz was like residing in a small and very close-knit community. Even more interesting was the fact that there was no crime on the island; no one locked their doors and the residents never carried their house keys. The families were kept fully isolated and fenced off from the prison, though its presence was continually evident.

Officers who resided on the island considered Alcatraz the safest place to raise a family in San Francisco. One former resident commented: “There was no crime in our neighborhood, we knew where all of the criminals were.”  Pictured here are four children posing atop one of the fortress era Rodman Cannons left on the island.

Family life on Alcatraz was hidden from the public until 1954, when Colliers Magazine published a series of photographs by William Woodfield depicting life behind the curtain.

Two young girls playing with their pet parakeet inside their apartment, located in Building #64. No dogs or cats were allowed as pets. The cellblock is clearly visible through the apartment window. The prison was a constant presence in the lives of both the officers and their families.

One of the most popular games for youngsters was “guards and cons.”  Toy guns and knives were strictly prohibited in any form, but the children made due using a banana or a stick as a stand-in. Wind sports were also popular. Using a jacket or sheet as a sail and wearing roller-skates, the children could sail across the parade ground when the sometimes-forceful Bay winds blew across the island. There was also a baseball diamond on the cement parade ground, as well as a standard playground area with ocean sand and a tennis court. Although at least one kindergarten class was held on the island, there were no schools on Alcatraz and the children would attend classes on the mainland, traveling back and forth daily via the prison launch. The Alcatraz children were very popular among their teachers and classmates. Everyone was interested to hear about what life was like at Alcatraz, and teachers were always encouraging the children to give class presentations. Kathryn O’Brien lived at Alcatraz for approximately two years, and fondly recalled:

I used to tease my friends and make up stories that worked to my advantage. I would tell them that Machine Gun Kelly waved good-bye to me through the bars that morning, or if one of my friends was getting picked on by a school bully, I’d warn them that I knew a lot of convicts and that they’d better watch it! Of course I didn’t really ever come close to the inmates, but it really worked. My friends rarely got picked on.

The fact that the only access to Alcatraz was by boat created special challenges for the residents. Few families owned automobiles, since most shopping was within walking distance of the Van Ness Pier. Fisherman’s Wharf was just a short walk, and the special Alcatraz boarding pier also boasted a special waiting room for residents and officers. Since navigation techniques of the era were relatively primitive, heavy fog or rough waters would suspend or delay launch operations, and occasionally a family would get stranded on the mainland.