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The Seattle Traveler

Portland Has an Underground Too

by Mary Jo on February 21st, 2008

Portland Underground If you’re a fan of subterranean cities, and have already checked out the Seattle Underground, consider heading south to Portland for a weekend where you can check out their underground “Shanghai Tunnels.”

It’s a sordid tale, just like here in Seattle.  Apparently, civilized society lived above ground, and while there were some nefarious activity going on, it was nothing like what was happening underground.  That’s where the fun stuff was happening!

The Shanghai Tunnels connected the basements of the downtown hotels and bars to the Willamette waterfront, and were originally used to move goods from the waterfront to downtown.  Makes practical sense.  Of course, during Prohibition some of the “goods” that were moved included moonshine, and the tunnels were used to get it to the bars and hotel unnoticed.  Also, a very practical solution.  Bars were actually set up in the tunnels themselves.

During this time, the occasional fellow would go missing.  Turns out that some of these folks in the tunnel became victims of kidnappings called “crimpings” also called Shanghaiing.

Portland Walking Tours offer daily tours of this underground play land, which gives you a glimpse into the subterranean world of Chinatown.  The tour guides swear this is the real stuff, and that they don’t use canned scripts.  You’ll have to take a tour to decide if it’s fact or fiction.

The tour covers about a mile and a half of ground, and comfortable walking shoes are recommended.  Some of the stories of underground Portland are a bit on the racy side, so parental discretion is advised.

Location:  Portland’s Visitor Information Center, lower level of the Pioneer Square Courthouse Square at SW Broadway & Morrison (map it).

Dates & Times:  Tours are offered daily at 2 pm, and last approximately two and a half hours.

Tickets:  Tickets available online.  $19 adults, $15 seniors (65+) and youth (ages 12-17), and $5 children.  Web specials available.

 

The Portland Underground Tour is just one of many reasons to make a getaway to the City of Roses.

 
Photo credit:  flickr

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POSTED IN: History & Information, Just a Bit Weird - Fun & Quirky Places, Scenic & Short Trips, Sound Like a Local - Local "speak"

7 opinions for Portland Has an Underground Too

  • Tarma
    Feb 21, 2008 at 12:37 pm

    Just so people are aware, this particular tour only goes in one small section of the underground - a single room underneath Old Town Pizza. There is a different tour group that goes into a more extensive area of the underground - here’s a link: http://www.shanghaitunnels.info/

  • Dennis Christopher
    Feb 21, 2008 at 1:26 pm

    I am interested in why you used a copyrighted image that belongs to the Cascade Geographic Society that runs the Portland Underground, and gave credit to Portland Walking Tours that only goes to one room and not the one in the image.

  • Mary Jo
    Feb 21, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    Thanks for the info about the additional tour company, Tarma. It’s nice to know of additional options —

  • Mary Jo
    Feb 21, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    Dennis - I have contacted you directly to determine if there has, in fact, been a copyright violation. That’s an allegation that I take seriously While I believe I have used and sourced appropriately, if there is a problem I will address it immediately.

  • Richard Callaby
    Mar 24, 2008 at 6:56 am

    Hey just want to say thanks for letting me know about this. I have not even heard of a Portland underground but now that I know about it I have to check it out. Just yet another thing on my to do list for life I guess. The list keeps getting longer.

  • topher
    Oct 16, 2008 at 11:15 pm

    Meh. Copyright shmopyright. Can’t stand the lawyer types. Thanks for the great information and the description of this great era of history.

  • cassandra
    Jan 4, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    bogus. the tour by the “Cascade Geographic Society” is a 90-minute visit to a dirt-floor basement, from which most “artifacts” have allegedly been stolen, accompanied by scripted stores for which there is 0% evidence. actual Historians from Portland consider it nothing more than urban myth. see Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_tunnels

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