If you are scared of dark basements, you are definitely going to want to stay home for this one. For those willing to take the journey, you can venture down this chilling staircase near the waterfront to step back into time and imagine what life was like at the turn of the century in Portland. What lies beneath the city is a haunting history that it can never fully shake.
Bex Walton / Flickr Connecting Chinatown and downtown in a series of tunnels, the Portland underground was built as a way to transport goods from ships docked on the Willamette to the storage facilities of bars and hotels along the river.
Keary O. / Flickr Today you can tour these underground tunnels, but in the late 1800s, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere near this creepy location.
Bet Walton / Flickr As the story goes, unsuspecting patrons would be whisked away to this underground lair through trap doors or deadfalls, and never be seen or heard from again.
Lisa Norwood / Flickr Once underground, they would be held in holding cells until ships were ready to sail.
Lisa Norwood / Flickr In this recreation, a holding cell is turned into a makeshift brothel room, another practice that took place here. In the same way, women were stolen from society only to come work here and be sold out to ships for prostitution.
Keary O. / Flickr If the red lighting isn’t creepy enough, once the ships were ready, the prisoners would be sold to their captains and they would set sail across the ocean.
Lisa Norwood / Flickr From 1850 to 1941, Portland became known as the Forbidden City because of this cruel practice.
Lisa Norwood / Flickr Once prohibition hit, many saloons even went underground to this space, and the unlawful kidnapping of citizens became even easier.
Kerry O. / Flickr While the practice has long been outlawed, the tunnels are said to be haunted and have appeared on the show Ghost Adventurers.
Erin / Flickr If you do venture down into the tunnels, be happy that you are able to get out. The fate was not the same for many people trapped in these tunnels back in Portland’s rougher days.
Have you explored these underground tunnels? Did you experience anything paranormal there? Let us know below!
Bex Walton / Flickr
Connecting Chinatown and downtown in a series of tunnels, the Portland underground was built as a way to transport goods from ships docked on the Willamette to the storage facilities of bars and hotels along the river.
Keary O. / Flickr
Today you can tour these underground tunnels, but in the late 1800s, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere near this creepy location.
Bet Walton / Flickr
As the story goes, unsuspecting patrons would be whisked away to this underground lair through trap doors or deadfalls, and never be seen or heard from again.
Lisa Norwood / Flickr
Once underground, they would be held in holding cells until ships were ready to sail.
In this recreation, a holding cell is turned into a makeshift brothel room, another practice that took place here. In the same way, women were stolen from society only to come work here and be sold out to ships for prostitution.
If the red lighting isn’t creepy enough, once the ships were ready, the prisoners would be sold to their captains and they would set sail across the ocean.
From 1850 to 1941, Portland became known as the Forbidden City because of this cruel practice.
Once prohibition hit, many saloons even went underground to this space, and the unlawful kidnapping of citizens became even easier.
Kerry O. / Flickr
While the practice has long been outlawed, the tunnels are said to be haunted and have appeared on the show Ghost Adventurers.
Erin / Flickr
If you do venture down into the tunnels, be happy that you are able to get out. The fate was not the same for many people trapped in these tunnels back in Portland’s rougher days.
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