Our family lived on McNeil Island when it was a Federal Correctional Institution '64-'80. My father was a guard and later operated the sawmill. My brothers and I literally grew up on that island. So many amazing memories.
This is so cool. My brother was in prison there for a short period before being transferred to Wenatchee State Prison. My uncle was there for 6 years and was also sent to Wenatchee after McNeil Island closed. The last time we went to visit him, the prison guard on the ferry over told us it was way too expensive to run and doesn't make sense to keep it open any longer. Kind of like Alcatraz and Paris Island. It's not a bad idea to put a prison out on an island, for obvious reasons, but it's just not cost effective. Thank you for doing this. We visited Alcatraz last October and had such a great day.
Hooray for Larae! What an incredibly rewarding project to have taken on. I do a lot of research in my cultural resources management position and know how painstaking it can be, so I have a great appreciation for all of the hard work you put into each and every video. The charisma with which you tell these stories is what makes them that much better, however. Kudos for playing such a big part in keeping history alive!!!
Great video! Always enjoy your tours. Think there will ever be public tours of the island in the future? I wonder if the facility is still being kept up...also, have you ever thought about making your own podcast show where you interview some people in regards to the locations you go over in your tours? For example, Old City Hall in Tacoma interviewing a former employee. Would also be super interesting! Or even the haunted locations interviewing people who experienced something, former employees, etc. Thanks!
I grew up in Longbranch across from Pitt Passage from '73 to'86. Got too close on a boat one time fishing as a kid and a alarm sounded on the Island,,, I've never rowed faster in my life lol. Now i live in South Tacoma right up the hill from downtown. Stadium class of '89.
We were brave enough to go onto Pitt Island and attempt to dig clams. That was a very short trip, no clams, and VERY stern talking to by the guard on the boat that raced out to see what the heck we were doing on their island. As you know, Pitt Island was also owned by the prison. We were silly kids, also in the 70’s.
I spent 4 years in prison on McNeil Island in cell 4I4, There were eight men cells when I was there, there was Only one riot, I got to see Johnny Cash perform there 😁 1984-1988
My stepdad was there for awhile when I was in 8th grade. I hated parking in the psych parking lot and having to take a bus ride then a boat ride to be stuck for hours in a visiting room . He was there, Leavenworth, terra haute , phoenix correctional institution and a few others over the 70’s-90’s 🤷🏻♀️
Dad told me about two guys that escaped the prison and swam across what they thought was the bay and then hitched a ride. What had happened is, it was late at night with no moon and these two swam across a lake on the island and then hitched the ride. They got in the truck of a man that was one of the guards at McNeil and so he just took them to work with him. giggles I always thought why didn't notice the lake was not salt water. giggles
There were a couple of guys that DID escape thru Pitt Passage in the 70’s. They crossed on a minus tide. Things they used to escape were found on my family’s property when some brush clearing took place. Dad called the Sheriff, then the FBI showed up to collect the evidence. 😮 I have no idea what happened to the men. I could also tell many other stories of what we saw from across the water, vacationing on the Lakebay side. Entertaining as a kid.
My Dad was also a guard there and lived on the island lived in the house behind the prison going up the hill i got some crazy ghost stories about that island.
i remember that old western state campus is very haunted . gives me wooleys just remembering running around and the stories i was told by others whom ive known
In the mid 80s we went to a garage sale in Steilacoom held by an older woman who worked at the hospital when Francis Farmer was incarcerated. Such a sad story she confirmed about horrible treatment
@@kippywylie I’ll have to look that name up and see what I find . I Haven’t heard much of particular people’s experiences of that place when it operated, but running around out there in 1990s was all new to me at the time , but the cold and the paranoia that followed and the stories I was being told at the time , insured I wouldn’t want to be left out there alone
Before they fenced it off, we used to go out there as teenagers in the 70’s. It was super creepy. SUPER. I could never stay inside for very long. After they fenced it off, then they tore it down later on.
One part of the island you can practically walk across to the other side... At low tide, best fishing I ever done in my life was around McNeil Island. I was working on the boats when I was locked up there
My great grandparents were homesteaders that were forced off the island. My grandfather and his sisters grew up on the island, attending school and church at the Swedish Lutheran Church. Peter and Anna Anderson were my great grandparents and their daughter Caroline also owned a large piece of property on the island too.
My ex boyfriend was incarcerated there for several years. I used to visi't him every weekend. He was in the main cell block his first time then was moved to the farm for a while, then back to the main block. I drove schoolbus for Steilacoom and one of our drivers was a wife of a corrections officer and they lived on the island. She drove the school's that picked up staffs children and took them to school that was there on the island..
I work on the island at the Secure Commitment Transitional Facility. THE SCC and us are treatment facilities, not a prison. The prison has been closed since 2011. Our facilities and the prison are two separate buildings. The prison is on the shore, and we are in the center of the island.
When my dad was young, there was prison breaks from McNeil Island and the cops set up road blocks searching every car that went through the area. There was a roadblock in from of his childhood home because he was so close to it by water.
My great great grandparents were homesteaders on the island in the 1800s. Hans and Caroline Anderson. He died and was buried on the island but after the prison system took over his remains were exhumed and moved to the old Tacoma cemetery, I don't really know the reason his grave was disturbed. They had a child who died young and whose grave is still on the island, all according to a book about the family my great uncle wrote back the the 1970s. It would be very interesting to know where their house was located on the island.
Anderson? Is there a connection here to the naming of Anderson Island? All I can think of right now is just how idyllic life must have been for those homesteaders with perfect soil, perfect forests, perfect setting
Had two close friends who were incarcerated there on McNeil when it was still a federal prison . One was there for refusing the military draft during Vietnam and sadly not qualified for a deferment due to religion. And a second friend over there for several years after he drove into the US at Nogales with a truckload of Marijuana. The pot friend had a million stories about life at McNeil. In 1971 the staff put up a Christmas tree on the cell block and John immediately threw it out the window pissed off about the hypocrisy..... Spent a spell in solitary. Another time a resident was given a 4 day leave for good behavior.... But was at the Steilacoom dock the next morning crying pleading to get back onto the island.... He missed his lover man 😂. So many stories
I lived in Steilacoom in the 2000s. I remember a prisoner jumped off the ferry from McNeil into the Puget Sound. It was dark and I was near the terminal when they were trying to find him. I heard him screaming help. I can't remember if they saved him. I also took about 5 trips to the island to visit a friend in prison before they made it entirely a place for sex offenders. It was interesting and I remember it was a pretty long walk from the ferry to where you entered the prison.
Our family lived on McNeil Island when it was a Federal Correctional Institution '64-'80. My father was a guard and later operated the sawmill.
My brothers and I literally grew up on that island.
So many amazing memories.
My best friend in high school dad's worked there too. He just turned 80.
This is so cool. My brother was in prison there for a short period before being transferred to Wenatchee State Prison. My uncle was there for 6 years and was also sent to Wenatchee after McNeil Island closed. The last time we went to visit him, the prison guard on the ferry over told us it was way too expensive to run and doesn't make sense to keep it open any longer. Kind of like Alcatraz and Paris Island. It's not a bad idea to put a prison out on an island, for obvious reasons, but it's just not cost effective. Thank you for doing this. We visited Alcatraz last October and had such a great day.
Where’s Wenatchee state prison? Been in mc Neil, WSR, (Monroe) and Walla Walla, never heard of Wenatchee state prison
Thanks over another banger video! I appreciate you spreading history of the state. I love it
It’s honestly my pleasure
I found you on TikTok love your videos! Love learning about Washington history!
Glad you’re here!
Hooray for Larae! What an incredibly rewarding project to have taken on. I do a lot of research in my cultural resources management position and know how painstaking it can be, so I have a great appreciation for all of the hard work you put into each and every video. The charisma with which you tell these stories is what makes them that much better, however. Kudos for playing such a big part in keeping history alive!!!
Thank you, I really appreciate that
Great video! Thank you! My grandfather was a guard at the prison 1956 through 1972.
This was incredibly interesting. I knew a fellow who worked there. His boat was in the marina next to mine. Thank you💝
Very interesting ! Wow, bird man also out on the island !
Great video! Always enjoy your tours. Think there will ever be public tours of the island in the future? I wonder if the facility is still being kept up...also, have you ever thought about making your own podcast show where you interview some people in regards to the locations you go over in your tours? For example, Old City Hall in Tacoma interviewing a former employee. Would also be super interesting! Or even the haunted locations interviewing people who experienced something, former employees, etc. Thanks!
I grew up in Longbranch across from Pitt Passage from '73 to'86. Got too close on a boat one time fishing as a kid and a alarm sounded on the Island,,, I've never rowed faster in my life lol. Now i live in South Tacoma right up the hill from downtown. Stadium class of '89.
@@markkeller1778 that would have scared the hell out of me 😂
We were brave enough to go onto Pitt Island and attempt to dig clams. That was a very short trip, no clams, and VERY stern talking to by the guard on the boat that raced out to see what the heck we were doing on their island. As you know, Pitt Island was also owned by the prison. We were silly kids, also in the 70’s.
I spent 4 years in prison on McNeil Island in cell 4I4, There were eight men cells when I was there, there was Only one riot, I got to see Johnny Cash perform there 😁 1984-1988
My stepdad was there for awhile when I was in 8th grade. I hated parking in the psych parking lot and having to take a bus ride then a boat ride to be stuck for hours in a visiting room . He was there, Leavenworth, terra haute , phoenix correctional institution and a few others over the 70’s-90’s 🤷🏻♀️
Hello from Los Angeles. Very Interesting.
My Aunt Arlene was this prison's head baker in their kitchen. Her apple pie is legendary.
Mark in Seattle
Dad told me about two guys that escaped the prison and swam across what they thought was the bay and then hitched a ride. What had happened is, it was late at night with no moon and these two swam across a lake on the island and then hitched the ride. They got in the truck of a man that was one of the guards at McNeil and so he just took them to work with him. giggles I always thought why didn't notice the lake was not salt water. giggles
There were a couple of guys that DID escape thru Pitt Passage in the 70’s. They crossed on a minus tide. Things they used to escape were found on my family’s property when some brush clearing took place. Dad called the Sheriff, then the FBI showed up to collect the evidence. 😮 I have no idea what happened to the men. I could also tell many other stories of what we saw from across the water, vacationing on the Lakebay side. Entertaining as a kid.
Played softball against the prison team in the mid nineties. They kicked our butts😂
they raised cattle and had Apple orchards on the island too!
Thank you
The cow field is now grown over and FULL of scotchbroom. That field glows yellow in Spring.
Interesting! Wonder if there is a way to visit the island to see the sights!?
They are very serious about keeping people off the island these days
@@PrettyGrittyTours thats too bad, it looks like a pretty good place to urban explore
My Dad was also a guard there and lived on the island lived in the house behind the prison going up the hill i got some crazy ghost stories about that island.
We used to hear things across the water at night, in Lakebay, around the campfire at night. WEIRD THINGS.
thank you chris!!!! our wizard of washington state......
i remember that old western state campus is very haunted . gives me wooleys just remembering running around and the stories i was told by others whom ive known
In the mid 80s we went to a garage sale in Steilacoom held by an older woman who worked at the hospital when Francis Farmer was incarcerated. Such a sad story she confirmed about horrible treatment
@@kippywylie I’ll have to look that name up and see what I find . I Haven’t heard much of particular people’s experiences of that place when it operated, but running around out there in 1990s was all new to me at the time , but the cold and the paranoia that followed and the stories I was being told at the time , insured I wouldn’t want to be left out there alone
Before they fenced it off, we used to go out there as teenagers in the 70’s. It was super creepy. SUPER. I could never stay inside for very long. After they fenced it off, then they tore it down later on.
My uncle was there mid 60s , remember going over on a boat to get there
One part of the island you can practically walk across to the other side... At low tide, best fishing I ever done in my life was around McNeil Island. I was working on the boats when I was locked up there
Pitt Passage
My great grandparents were homesteaders that were forced off the island. My grandfather and his sisters grew up on the island, attending school and church at the Swedish Lutheran Church. Peter and Anna Anderson were my great grandparents and their daughter Caroline also owned a large piece of property on the island too.
My ex boyfriend was incarcerated there for several years. I used to visi't him every weekend. He was in the main cell block his first time then was moved to the farm for a while, then back to the main block. I drove schoolbus for Steilacoom and one of our drivers was a wife of a corrections officer and they lived on the island. She drove the school's that picked up staffs children and took them to school that was there on the island..
Just a note Captain William Henry Mc Neill was employed by the Hudson Bay Company.
worked there as a Corrections officer in the middle 90's
This is cool , my dad worked there in the 70’s .
I work on the island at the Secure Commitment Transitional Facility. THE SCC and us are treatment facilities, not a prison. The prison has been closed since 2011. Our facilities and the prison are two separate buildings. The prison is on the shore, and we are in the center of the island.
You should look into pine lodge pre release
Can do!
When my dad was young, there was prison breaks from McNeil Island and the cops set up road blocks searching every car that went through the area. There was a roadblock in from of his childhood home because he was so close to it by water.
My great great grandparents were homesteaders on the island in the 1800s. Hans and Caroline Anderson. He died and was buried on the island but after the prison system took over his remains were exhumed and moved to the old Tacoma cemetery, I don't really know the reason his grave was disturbed. They had a child who died young and whose grave is still on the island, all according to a book about the family my great uncle wrote back the the 1970s. It would be very interesting to know where their house was located on the island.
Anderson? Is there a connection here to the naming of Anderson Island? All I can think of right now is just how idyllic life must have been for those homesteaders with perfect soil, perfect forests, perfect setting
do you know anything about Annie McNeil?
A bit, anything in particular?
Cigarette packs on the floor , won't see that ever. Cigarettes are contraband, all tobacco products are banned.
Early 1990’s
Had two close friends who were incarcerated there on McNeil when it was still a federal prison . One was there for refusing the military draft during Vietnam and sadly not qualified for a deferment due to religion. And a second friend over there for several years after he drove into the US at Nogales with a truckload of Marijuana. The pot friend had a million stories about life at McNeil. In 1971 the staff put up a Christmas tree on the cell block and John immediately threw it out the window pissed off about the hypocrisy..... Spent a spell in solitary. Another time a resident was given a 4 day leave for good behavior.... But was at the Steilacoom dock the next morning crying pleading to get back onto the island.... He missed his lover man 😂. So many stories
Good old McNiel island prison.
I was an held there in the 80’s in 3 -4 cell house
Was it ever a women’s prison
I was in cell 4i4 for 4 years 1983 to1988
I did 20 years inside😊
I lived in Steilacoom in the 2000s. I remember a prisoner jumped off the ferry from McNeil into the Puget Sound. It was dark and I was near the terminal when they were trying to find him. I heard him screaming help. I can't remember if they saved him. I also took about 5 trips to the island to visit a friend in prison before they made it entirely a place for sex offenders. It was interesting and I remember it was a pretty long walk from the ferry to where you entered the prison.
I know the inmate that did that
Hey
@@johnalford5677 hey