Shanghai Tunnels Portland OR

2009-02-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

It's 1885 and you've stopped by the local tavern for a few drinks to end a hard days work at the mill. After a couple pints, the bartender offers you a couple more. By this time, the place is buzzing with loud men, easy women, and you're watching the room spin. With a flash, your seat drops and you're flat on you back in a dark, cold room. A large man puts a bag over your head, takes your shoes, and shoves you into a room so small you can barely sit. You've just been Shanghaied.

From 1850 to 1941, Portland, Oregon was know as the "Unheavenly City". Able-bodied men were kidnapped right under everybody's nose, whether they were paid to notice or not. Ever night man after man would be dropped right from the bar seat they were sitting on through a trap door called a "deadfall" and not one person would notice. AFter they were brought into the underground tunnels, that to this day span for miles making up the Portland Underground or more popularly known as the "Shanghai Tunnels", their shoes were taken as a precaution. If by some small chance a prisoner escaped, they covered the floors with shattered glass, so the guards would only have to follow the trail of blood from the prisoners bare feet. They were held in the cell until it was time for a ship to set sail and after a heavy dosage of sedatives, the next thing they'd see would be the open ocean. They had been sold into slavery on a ship bound for Asia.

It fascinates me that at one point in time, so much went on right below my feet. Luckily there's a man who can tae us back to the days of white slavery, opium dens, and prohibition speak-easys, with one of his amazing stories. His name is Michael Jones and he's been exploring and restoring the Portland Underground since he was 7 years old, He knows more than anyone on the subject and he's seen and heard thing down in the tunnels that would make most of us never want to be in the dark again. This past weekend I got the special opportunity to go on one of his ghost tours of the underground, We met in a local bar were he told us his story about his first time below the surface. He and his uncle had been staying at a local hotel. That night he had been left alone, so he made his way down to the hotel lobby where an old man was sitting by the fire. He went and asked the man to tell him about old time portland; the man said no, but with a bit of persistence the man said, "Of you want to know the real Portland, you have to go underground". That night they went to the basement of that hotel and found the door that led to the underground. He crawled down into the tunnel, but before he was completely submerged the man handed him a book of matches and said, "See ya later kid". Ever since that day Michael Jones has been captivated by the dark past of Portland, Oregon.

If you too are intrigues you can take one of 3 tours, the "Shanghai Tunnels Heritage Tour", the "Shanghai Tunnels Ghost Tour", or the "Shanghai Tunnels Ethnic History Tour". You'll see remnants of this shocking maritime history, unique architecture, underground holding cells, , a "deadfall" trapdoor, unearthed artifacts, misguided labor practice, and more. Just make sure you call ahead and make a reservation! And don't forget to bring a camera, some good walking shoes, and a strong conscious(there's a lot of unexplained happening in the Portland Underground) and most of all, have fun!

Savannah's Travels

Shanghai Tunnels Portland OR