Finding aid to the Alcatraz Indian Occupation Records
1964-1971 (bulk 1969-1971)
Finding aid prepared by John J. Kenny; revised by Thomas J. Carey 2002 and Wendy Kramer in 2012.
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA, 94102
(415) 557-4567
info@sfpl.org
2012
Title: Alcatraz Indian Occupation Records
Date (inclusive): 1964-1971
Date (bulk): 1969-1971
Collection Identifier: SFH 11
Creator:
Indians of All Tribes, Inc.
Physical Description:
4 cartons, 1 box
(4.5 cubic feet)
Contributing Institution:
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 557-4567
info@sfpl.org
Abstract: Correspondence, minutes, legal files, promotional materials, publications, petitions, and a few objects and photographs documenting
the activities of Indians of All Tribes, its governing council, and individuals involved in the occupation of Alcatraz from
Nov. 1969 - June 1971.
Physical Location: The collection is stored onsite.
Language of Materials: Collection materials are in
English.
Access
The collection is open for research, with photographs available for viewing during the San Francisco History Center's Historical
Photograph Collection hours: Tuesday: 1-5; Thursday: 1-5; Saturday: 10-12, 1-5.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the San Francisco Public Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from
manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco
Public Library as the owner of the physical items.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Alcatraz Indian Occupation Records (SFH 11), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public
Library.
Provenance
Following the evacuation of the island, the records were transferred to the custody of the Federal Records Center in San Francisco
until their release to Frederic S. Baker, legal representative of the Indians of All Tribes, Inc., in October 1971. In June
1972, Baker donated the records to the Special Collections Department of the San Francisco Public Library.
Materials Transferred
Four color snapshots and 14 black-and-white prints have been transferred from folder 3/27 to the San Francisco Historical
Photograph Collection. The Alcatraz Relief Fund rubber stamp (folder 2/23) has been transferred to Realia Box 49.
Approximately 10 folders of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary records, left behind when the prison was closed, were found in the
Indian Occupation Records and were sent to the National Archives Pacific Region in San Bruno.
Related Materials
Researchers are directed to the San Francisco History Center's subject and biographical card files; vertical files; San Francisco
Historical Photograph Collection; and to books and videocassettes in the Library's collections. A well-researched history
that puts the occupation in perspective is Troy R. Johnson's
The Occupation of Alcatraz Island (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1996). A shorter piece by Johnson is available online at
www.nps.gov/alca/historyculture/we-hold-the-rock.htm .
Processing Information note
Originally processed by John J. Kenny in 1973. A second stage of processing was completed in 2002 by Thomas J. Carey, who
housed the collection in archival folders and boxes; described additional materials that had been excluded from the original
guide; removed some duplicate materials; and returned mis-filed items to their original folders.
Conservation Note
Original folders were replaced with acid-free folders and returned to Hollinger boxes. Some metal staples remain. Some acidic
documents have been separated with Permalife bond paper. Plastic sheet protectors were removed where found.
Historical Note
Alcatraz Island was occupied in November 1969 by Indians of All Tribes, a group of about one hundred Native American college
students and activists from UCLA and the San Francisco Bay Area. Led by Richard Oakes, the occupation was organized to draw
attention to the sociopolitical situation of Native Americans and to encourage their self-determination. After changes in
leadership, the influx of non-Native persons, growing violence and drug abuse, and increasing isolation in the community,
the federal government was prompted to remove the Indians from the island in June 1971.
Scope and Contents
Correspondence, minutes, legal files, promotional materials, publications, petitions, and a few objects and photographs documenting
the activities of Indians of All Tribes, its governing council, and individuals involved in the occupation of Alcatraz from
Nov. 1969 - June 1971. Inclusive dates of the collection and of files within it reflect when items were created, rather than
when they were compiled. Files with no dates given are estimated to be 1969-1971.
Petitions reflect several requests for support: some are authored by Native American tribes or other sympathetic groups for
the benefit of the Alcatraz community, but most are from Indians of All Tribes. Signatures on petitions were collected from
all over the United States and include: Malvina Reynolds, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Magnolia Thunderpussy, Stewart Brand, Lou
Gottlieb of the Limeliters, and the religious sisters at the Helpers of the Holy Souls Convent on Haight Street. Box 5 Folder
3 includes a statement of support from Merritt College Chicano Studies department. Some Bay Area Native American Council (BANAC)
material is interfiled with petitions in Box 5 Folder 1.
The collection includes a few folders of papers of Allan Miller, who served as a council member and was a student at San Francisco
State College; most of his papers pre-date the occupation and consist of student notes, files about Indian organizations,
Native American studies, San Francisco's Mission District, and the San Francisco State Legal Defense Committee.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged roughly by type of document according to topical headings established in 1973, which are based
partially on original order and partially constructed by the archivist and then alphabetized. Records were not significantly
re-ordered in 2002. Folders labeled "Support" consist of incoming correspondence from groups and organizations. Correspondence
from individuals is filed under "Correspondence." Papers of Allan Miller are in Box 4 Folders 20-32. For further historical
details on arrangement as it relates to provenance, please see the paper guide included with the collection in the front of
Box 1.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Indians of All Tribes, Inc. -- Archives
Alcatraz Indians of All Tribes newsletter
Alcatraz Island (Calif.)--History--Indian Occupation, 1969-1971
Box 1, Folder 1
Biographies: Chief White Buffalo Man; Michele de Santene
Box 1, Folder 2
Bureau of Indian Affairs: Louis R. Bruce,
January 1970 - January 1971
Box 1, Folder 4
Community Information: Instructions
Box 1, Folder 5
Community Information: Resources,
February 1970 - April 1971
General note
Some items missing.
Box 1, Folder 6
Donations (not money),
October 1970 - April 1971
Box 1, Folder 7
Donations of Money,
January 1970 - April 1971
Box 1, Folder 9
Foreign Requests for Information,
April 1970 - April 1971
Box 1, Folder 11
Miscellaneous Envelopes,
November 1969 - April 1971
Box 1, Folder 10
Foreign Support,
January 1970 - April 1971
Box 1, Folder 12
Nutmail,
February 1970 - February 1971
Box 1, Folder 13
Offers of Help, Support, Petitions,
November 1969 - April 1971
Box 1, Folder 14
Personal Letters to Indians,
December 1969 - April 1971
Box 1, Folder 15
Requests for Information – California,
January 1970 - April 1971
Box 1, Folder 16
Requests for Information – U.S.A.,
December 1969 - April 1971
Box 1, Folder 17
Unopened Bills, Letters, Misc.,
April 1970 - April 1971
Box 1, Folder 18
Undated
Material Specific Details note: Carbons.
Box 1, Folder 19
December 1969
Material Specific Details note: Carbon copies.
Box 1, Folder 20
January 1970
Material Specific Details note: Carbons copies.
Box 1, Folder 21
February 1970
Material Specific Details note: Carbon copies.
Box 1, Folder 27
Council, General Business and Island Affairs,
February 1970 - March 1971
Box 1, Folder 28
Council, General Business and Island Affairs,
May 1970 - March 1971
Box 1, Folder 29
Council Memoranda,
June 1969 - March 1971
Box 1, Folder 32
General Meeting and Conference Notes,
December 22-23, 1969
Box 1, Folder 34
General Meeting,
February 6, 1970
Box 1, Folder 35
Inter-Tribal – Oakland,
February 11, 1970
Box 1, Folder 36
Statement of Authority,
February 23, 1970
Box 2, Folder 1
Alcatraz School Binder,
1970
Box 2, Folder 2
Correspondence,
October 1969 - December 1970
Box 2, Folder 4
General Business and Miscellaneous
Box 2, Folder 24
Past Donations,
January 1970 - December 1970
Box 2, Folder 25
Financial Reports (Summaries),
March 1970 - December 1970
Box 2, Folder 26
G. S. A. (General Services Administration),
January 1970
Box 2, Folder 27
G. S. A. Hannon, Thomas,
October 1969 - May 1970
Box 2, Folder 28
Indian Conventions,
July 1970 - November 1970
Box 2, Folder 29
Poetry and Miscellaneous,
November 1969 - October 1970
Box 2, Folder 30
Collections: Poems by Lone Wolf,
November 1969 - December 1969
Box 2, Folder 31
American Indian Council, Inc.
Box 2, Folder 32
Bay Area Native American Council (BANAC)
Box 2, Folder 33
Sonoma County American Indian Council, Inc.
Indian Publications Received:
Box 3, Folder 3
Indians – History and Movements,
1964 and 1968
Box 3, Folder 7
Oakes, Yvonne (Memorial Fund)
Box 3, Folder 12
Island Tours and Donations
Box 3, Folder 15
N.C.I.O. (National Council on Indian Opportunity)
Box 3, Folder 16
N.C.I.O. (Robert Robertson),
1970
Box 3, Folder 19
Correspondence,
1970-1971
Box 3, Folder 20
Drafts: Vol. 1 No. 1 (Jan. 1970)
Box 3, Folder 21
Drafts: Vol. 1 No. 2 (Feb. 1970)
Box 3, Folder 22
Drafts: Vol. 1 No. 3 [April 1970?]
Box 3, Folder 27
Photographs
Materials Transferred
Four color snapshots and 14 black-and-white prints have been transferred to the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection.
Box 4, Folder 2
Requesting Indian Support,
December 6, 1969 - April 9, 1970
Box 4, Folder 3
Promotional Schemes,
November 1969 - March 1971
Box 4, Folder 4
Proposals for Funding,
November 1969 - October 1970
Box 4, Folder 5
Proposals: Use To Be Made of Alcatraz,
August 1968 - January 1970
Box 4, Folder 6
Press and Press Conferences,
January 1970 - February 1970
Box 4, Folder 7
Press Releases,
November 26, 1969 - February 12, 1970
Box 4, Folder 8
Publications Received: Miscellaneous, Non-Indian,
1970-1971
Box 4, Folder 9
Radio Broadcasts: KPFA-FM, Berkeley,
January 2, 1970 - April 3, 1970
Box 4, Folder 10
Church,
November 30, 1969 - January 13, 1971
Box 4, Folder 11
Government,
December 8, 1969 - April 22, 1970
Box 4, Folder 12
Indian (Organizations),
November 1969 - April 1971
Box 4, Folder 13
Public (Organizations),
November 1969 - January 1971
Box 4, Folder 14
Requests for Alcatraz Support,
October 1970 - May 1971
Box 4, Folder 15
Student (Organizations),
November 1969 - April 1971
Box 4, Folder 16
Union,
December 1969 - February 1970
Box 4, Folder 17
Union: UAW [United Auto Workers],
February 1970, undated
Box 4, Folder 18
Television Broadcasts,
February [1970]
Box 4, Folder 19
Transportation: Vehicles and Vessels,
September 1969 - February 1971
Box 4, Folder 20
American Indian Day,
1969
Box 4, Folder 21
Indian Center Proposal,
undated
Box 4, Folder 22
American Indians United,
undated
Box 4, Folder 23
American Native Youth Corps "Project Proposal,"
undated
Box 4, Folder 24
Student Council of American Natives (SCAN),
June 1966, undated
Box 4, Folders 25-27
Miller, Allan: Student Notes and Miscellany,
196[?] - July 1970
Box 4, Folder 28
Mission Coalition (San Francisco),
July-August 1969 and undated
Box 4, Folder 29
Mission Model Neighborhood Corporation,
June 1969
Box 4, Folder 30
San Francisco State Legal Defense Committee,
1969
Box 4, Folders 31-32
San Francisco State: Native American Studies,
August 1967 - February 1970
Box 5, Folder 1
[New Age Natural Foods return address]
Box 5, Folder 2
Counted 1,494,
February 25, 1970
Box 5, Folder 3
Counted 4,327,
January 6, 1970
