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Maya Seaman
Maya Seaman is a SoCal-born writer who traded palm trees for pines when she moved to Portland in 2010. Read More
Portland’s Shanghai Tunnels
Explore the city’s infamous catacombs — and draw your own conclusions.
Maya Seaman
Maya Seaman is a SoCal-born writer who traded palm trees for pines when she moved to Portland in 2010. Read More
In the late 19th century, when Portland’s bars stretched entire city blocks, and the waterfront was a bustling hub for international maritime trade, a lonely logger might get more than he bargained for at his local tavern — like a one-way trip to the open seas.
Editor’s note: Travel Portland acknowledges the inherent racism of the term “Shanghai” to refer to the practice of kidnapping and enslaving laborers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. We use the word here because it is the most widely searched term on the topic, and we want to connect visitors with accurate information.
The Legend of the Shanghai Tunnels
Beneath Old Town Chinatown, Portland’s original downtown, in the so-called Shanghai tunnels, truth mingles with myth. Local lore says that a labyrinth of interconnected basements, makeshift rooms and low-ceilinged tunnels reached the waterfront in the 1890s. Allegedly, this made it easy to sneak illegal goods, including opium and Prohibition-era alcohol — or kidnapped victims — onto waiting ships.
Questions About the Shanghai Tunnels
Where does the term “shanghaied” come from?
When were the Shanghai tunnels used?
Are the Shanghai tunnels still used?
Can I tour the tunnels?
The legends originated in 1933 when writer Stewart Holbrook began publishing newspaper articles about 1890s Portland in the Sunday Oregonian. In these colorful tales, a sailor might begin drinking at Erickson’s Saloon — which featured a bar that was 684 feet (208 m) long — and wake up the next day onboard a ship on his way out to sea.
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In the 1970s, Portland historian Michael P. Jones took an interest in the Shanghai tunnels. Jones began offering tours along with terrifying stories of forced prostitution, murder, ruined lives, and the underground catacombs that facilitated it all — and a classic weird Portland legend was born.
The truth of the tales is hotly debated. Many of the tunnels are currently inaccessible or collapsed, and little to no evidence exists to support these rumors. Still, it’s a great spooky story for those seeking tales of the macabre and a fun experience for first-time Portland visitors or people exploring the city on foot.
Credit: Old Town Brewing
Shanghai Tunnel Walking Tour
Visitors wanting to learn more about Portland’s dark history can decide for themselves whether or not the legends are true by visiting a small section of the infamous tunnels with the Haunted Shanghai Tunnel Tour. The tour begins at Old Town Pizza & Brewing in what was once the lobby of the luxurious Merchant Hotel, built in 1880 and reportedly one of the most haunted places in Portland.
Despite lore about tunnels that extend for miles beneath the city, the tour doesn’t go much farther than the shadowy basement of the building. Short brick passageways stop abruptly, though you can peek at long stretches of cobwebbed paths extending into the darkness.
From there, it’s up to your imagination, though it’s easy to picture gambling dens, criminals dropping through a hidden trapdoor to dodge the law and more illicit deeds.
Exploring the Neighborhood
True or not, touring the tunnels makes for a great story — and they’re an even better starting point for exploring the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood and learning more about Portland history.
The Haunted Shanghai Tunnel Tour is only a block away from Lan Su Chinese Garden, an authentic Ming Dynasty-style garden built by Suzhou artisans, and it’s just across the street from the legendary drag institution, Darcelle XV Showplace. Two blocks to the east, the Japanese American Historical Plaza overlooks the Willamette River.
After your tour, which includes a beer tasting and a local pint (including options for gluten-free cider), grab a slice of pizza upstairs at Old Town Pizza & Brewing. (You may find yourself seated next to the venue’s resident ghost, “Nina.”)
Afterward, pay a visit to Goodies Snack Shop, which offers grab-and-go snacks and beverages and Asian pantry staples, and try a pastry and coffee at the nearby The Society Cafe. Or grab a bike at Cycle Portland Bike Tours & Rentals and explore more of the city and its many colorful tales at your own pace.
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