Alcatraz Guard San Francisco Brass Badge

GUARD BADGE, a solid brass old west Alcatraz Guard San Francisco badge. The badge is a shield measuring 2 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches tall. It is solid brass with an antique finish and a pin on the back. Often referred to as The Rock, the small island early-on served as a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal Bureau Prisons federal prison until 1963. Later, in 1972, Alcatraz became a national recreation area and received landmarking designations in 1976 and 1986.