McNeil Island. Correspondence from Inmate Case File, Robert F. Stroud from McNeil Island Penitentiary, dated September 23, 1915.
This record is a piece of correspondence from the inmate case file for the prisoner Robert F. Stroud (aka the “Birdman” of Alcatraz) from his time served at McNeil Island Penitentiary. The prison opened in 1875 and operated as a federal penitentiary for more than 100 years. Inmate files are only scheduled to be 15-year temporary records, but files through 1920 were saved due to their potential historical significance when McNeil transitioned from federal to state ownership in 1981. These files often include: demographic information, detailed medical history, photographs, letters sent and received from inside the prison, as well as monthly reports to the warden. We also hold case files for military prisoners.
The National Archives at Seattle holds more records related to McNeil Island Penitentiary in Record Group 129: Records of the Bureau of Prisons.
Correspondence from Inmate Case File, Robert F. Stroud from McNeil Island Penitentiary, dated September 23, 1915. National Archives Identifier: 343793733
View and download the Inmate Case File for Robert F. Stroud on the National Archives Catalog. This record is one example of the many records from McNeil Island Penitentiary at the National Archives at Seattle, WA. You can explore more records held at the National Archives at Seattle through the National Archives Catalog or by visiting the National Archives at Seattle. This record is located within Record Group 129: Records of the Bureau of Prisons, Series: Prisoner Case Files, 1875–1920. Many of the records in this collection have yet to be digitized. We encourage researchers to visit us onsite to explore these records and learn more about the archival collections held at the National Archives at Seattle.