History of San Quentin State Prison
According to "Inside Death Row / At San Quentin, 647
condemned killers wait to die in the most populous execution antechamber in the
United States" by Peter Fimrite, a journalist for the San Francisco
Chronicle, in 1854, San Quentin Prison was completed and became California's
first prison. The land that the prison was built on was purchased for $10,000.
The prison is named after a Licatuit Indian chief named Quentin because Quentin
was defeated on the very grounds where the prison was built. The original
prison had a whipping post and a dungeon. Soon after the creation of the
prison, it became overcrowded with 300 murderers drawn to California by the
Gold Rush (3-4).
Click here to view more historical pictures of San Quentin State Prison.
San Quentin Prison 1910 (Image above). Image courtesy of the California Legacy Project.
Click here to view more historical pictures of San Quentin State Prison.
San Quentin Prison 1910 (Image above). Image courtesy of the California Legacy Project.
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Watch the video on the left for a live performance at San Quentin State Prison by Johnny Cash. (Video found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zgja26eNeY)
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