This cache is located along the side of the road in front of the decommissioned Washington State Reformatory (W.S.R) Farm (or Honor Farm). Low risk inmates were expected to work on the farm to develop physically and be close to nature.
The history of Monroe Correctional Complex's Community Work Crew is long and varied. It came into being in the summer of 1889. Four inmates escaped from the Washington State Reformatory Farm in one week. The local community was upset and called a meeting at the local grange hall with elected officials, DOC headquarters staff, WSR & Farm managers and over 100 locals. DOC vowed that the institution would become a better neighbor by striving to become a community asset as opposed to a liability. One of several changes that followed was development of the Community Work Crew.
The first task the crew took on was to clean the boat launch beneath the High Bridge over the Snoqualmie river, and the job they did was incredible. This area was transformed from a tangle of blackberry bushes into a park with lawn, flowers, trees, and curbs for parking. Fresh gravel and a new entrance sign were created from donations. The public immediately noticed, and soon members of the local community were happily using the area. The farm ceased operations after 73 years in June of 2002.