3 5 7 2 1 6 4 SAN CALIFORNIA PACIFIC OCBAN ALCATRAZ ISLAND FRANCISCO BAY SAN FRANCISCO
CHAPTER 1 The Ohlone and Evil Spirits Imagine a time when the San Francisco Bay was not filled with water It was dry land During that geologic period the islands that now dot the bay were mountain peaks Indigenous people called the Ohlone roamed the area searching for food and firewood As time passed glaciers melted and the sea level began to rise Water filled the area and tribes moved to the mainland but the Ohlone maintained their connection to two special mountains that had become islands It’s impossible to know exactly how the tribes used the islands but legend says the Ohlone made the island into a fishing base Legend also says they were the first to use the land as an early prison The Ohlone sent people who committed crimes there to keep them away from the rest of the tribe Since the only way on or off the island was by boat they could isolate anyone who broke tribal law As more prisoners were sent to the island the fishermen began to avoid it They claimed there was evil lurking there and the criminals were attracting the ghosts of unhappy ancestors And then the island became even creepier The most respected position in the tribe was the shaman The shaman was thought to have supernatural powers It was the shaman’s responsibility to heal the sick lead the tribe in rites and rituals and keep everyone safe from evil spirits and enemies As rumors of ghosts swirled a shaman decided he needed to look for sorcerers and witches hiding among the tribe on the mainland If he believed someone had unusual powers he had two choices either send them to live in isolation on the island or kill them
