McNeil Island facts for kids
Aerial image of McNeil Island (foreground) seen from the east
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Puget Sound |
| Administration | |
| State | Washington |
| County | Pierce County |
McNeil Island is an island located in the Northwestern United States. It sits in the southern part of Puget Sound, southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The island covers about 6.63 square miles (17.2 km2) of land.
McNeil Island is surrounded by other small islands. To the south, across Balch Passage, is Anderson Island. To the north, across Carr Inlet, is Fox Island. The Key Peninsula is to the west, separated by Pitt Passage. The mainland of Washington is to the east, across Puget Sound.
For many years, the government owned McNeil Island. It was home to a federal prison for over a century, from 1875 to 1981. After that, it became the McNeil Island Corrections Center, run by the Washington State Department of Corrections. This prison closed in 2011. It was the last island prison in the country that could only be reached by air or sea.
In November 2010, the state announced the prison would close in 2011. This decision helped save about $14 million. The McNeil Island Historical Society was formed in 2010. Its goal is to teach people about the island's history and help preserve it.
Island's Past
The Steilacoom people, a Coast Salish tribe, originally lived on the island.
In 1841, Charles Wilkes named the island. He named it after Captain William Henry McNeill of the Hudson's Bay Company. Captain McNeill greeted Wilkes when his expedition arrived at Fort Nisqually. Wilkes accidentally misspelled the name, and it was never corrected.
Another expedition in 1846, led by Robert A. Inskip, named the island Duntze. This was after Captain John A. Duntze of the Royal Navy. But in 1847, during a British map update, Henry Kellett changed it back to McNeil.
The U.S. government bought land on McNeil Island in 1870. They opened a federal prison there in 1875. Over time, the government bought more land. By 1937, they owned the entire island. The last people living there were asked to leave.
Some well-known people were held at the federal prison. These included Robert Stroud, known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz", from 1909 to 1912. Charles Manson was an inmate from 1961 to 1966. Alvin Karpis, a famous criminal from the 1930s, was moved to McNeil Island in 1962. This happened when Alcatraz prison was closing.
During World War II, some Japanese Americans were sent to McNeil. They were there because they protested their wartime confinement. One of them was civil rights activist Gordon Hirabayashi. President Harry S. Truman pardoned all of them in 1947.
In 1981, the state of Washington took over the prison from the federal government. It was called the McNeil Island Corrections Center (MICC). In 2011, it became the Special Commitment Center.
The Prison and Cemetery
The land for the McNeil Island Cemetery was given by early island settlers. The first burial happened in October 1905. When island residents had to leave in 1936, the cemetery closed. All the remains were moved and reburied in cemeteries on the mainland.
When it closed, McNeil was the only prison in North America that could only be reached by boat or air. Today, it is still the site of the state's main Special Commitment Center (SCC). Besides the main building, there was an annex on the other side of the island. This annex held inmates who were less of a risk or were about to be released.
In the 1800s, the prison was also a military camp and a military prison for a short time. At one point, the prison was almost self-sufficient. This means it produced its own food, including from a dairy farm. Inmates worked and managed these operations.
The prison faced closure for a long time because it was very expensive to run. An announcement in late 2010 confirmed it would close in 2011. The remaining 500 inmates were moved to other state prisons. The prison officially closed on April 1, 2011.
Who Lives on the Island?
As of October 2018, the island's population was 214 people. These are all former prison inmates who are now civilly committed. This means they are required to stay there for special care or treatment.
When the prison was open, the island had over a thousand residents. In the year 2000, there were 1,516 people. Most of these were inmates at the MICC prison. About 100 non-prisoners also lived on the island. These were about 40 families, with at least one family member working at the prison. Their homes were supported by the Department of Corrections, so rent was much lower.
Getting Around the Island
A small ferry for passengers used to run for registered visitors. It left from Steilacoom Dock every two hours. The state also provides emergency speedboat services for those who are civilly committed.
In 1934, McNeil Island was connected by ferry service to Steilacoom, Anderson Island, and Longbranch, Washington. Separate ferries, owned by the federal or state government, connected McNeil Island with Steilacoom. The Washington State Department of Corrections still runs passenger ferry and barge services to McNeil Island. These services are for the Special Commitment Center.
