10 Places in Washington the Mob Used to Control

Washington State is famous for its mountains, its coffee, and its rain. But behind that postcard image lies a hidden history of bootleggers, smugglers, gambling lords, and a police payoff system so organized it ran for the better part of a century. In this documentary we count down 10 places in Washington the mob used to control. From the smuggler's loophole at Point Roberts, to the fog bound rum running channels of the San Juan Islands, to the haunted waterfront of Aberdeen, to the gambling quarters of Spokane and Tacoma, and finally into the heart of Seattle itself, this is the story of the shadow economy that ran beneath the respectable Pacific Northwest. Meet Roy Olmstead, the police lieutenant who became the King of the Puget Sound Bootleggers. Step inside the hidden gambling clubs of Chinatown. Trace the strip club empire of Frank Colacurcio. And discover how, in old Seattle, the criminals and the people wearing the badges were not enemies at all. They were partners. These are real places and real history, drawn from court records, old headlines, and the work of serious historians. This is the Washington the postcards never showed you. Which of these stories surprised you the most? Tell us in the comments, and let us know where in the world you are watching from tonight. We read every single one. If you love forgotten, buried, and dangerous American history, subscribe for a new story every week. CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction 2:33 Number 10: Point Roberts, the Smuggler's Loophole 5:20 Number 9: The San Juan Islands 7:56 Number 8: Aberdeen and Grays Harbor 10:57 Number 7: Spokane's Trent Alley 13:28 Number 6: Tacoma, the Wide Open City 15:51 Number 5: Pioneer Square and the Box Houses 18:38 Number 4: Seattle's Chinatown 21:31 Number 3: The Colacurcio Strip Club Empire 24:07 Number 2: Roy Olmstead, King of the Puget Sound Bootleggers 27:18 Number 1: Downtown Seattle and the Police Payoff System 31:21 Final Thoughts SOURCES Roy Olmstead, King of the Puget Sound Bootleggers Prohibition in the Puget Sound Region Seattle police payoff system, grand jury indictments 1971 A Century of Seattle Vice Colacurcio Organization (Wikipedia) Wah Mee massacre and the Chinatown gambling clubs John Considine and the killing of ex-chief William Meredith, 1901 (HistoryLink) Billy Gohl, the Ghoul of Grays Harbor (Wikipedia) Spokane Old Chinatown / Trent Alley (HistoryLink) Smuggling in the San Juan Islands