Shanghai Tunnels

Oregon · United States · Tunnel

Shanghai Tunnels — Oregon · United States · Tunnel

Drunken men were carried off to sea through the passages — and Nina's ghost was thrown down a lift shaft.

The Shanghai Tunnels in Portland, Oregon are a network of underground passages, mainly beneath Old Town Chinatown, which connected the basements of hotels and taverns with the Willamette River. The tunnels were built to move goods from the ships to the cellar stores without disturbing street traffic.

According to legend they were also used for "shanghaiing": captains paid around fifty dollars a head for abducted crewmen. Crimps prowled Portland's bars, lured drunken, solitary men down to the cellar, knocked them unconscious and dragged them through the tunnels to the harbour. At its height some 2,000 people a year are said to have been shanghaied. Historians stress, however, that while both the tunnels and shanghaiing existed, there is no evidence that the tunnels themselves were used for it — the story spread through The Oregonian in 1962 and was popularised by tunnel tours in the 1970s.

The tunnels are said to be one of the most haunted places on the planet. Deep below, visitors feel their skin crawl, as though someone were watching from the shadows. Many describe an Asian man walking past, a spirit they have named "Sam". Best known, though, is Nina — a social reformer or prostitute who according to legend was murdered and thrown down a lift shaft after trying to expose the truth about shanghaiing. Tours depart from Old Town Pizza, once the lobby of the reputedly haunted Merchant Hotel of 1880.

Sources: English Wikipedia "Shanghai tunnels", travelportland.com, usghostadventures.com, portlandghosts.com

FAQ

Where is Shanghai Tunnels located?

Shanghai Tunnels is in Oregon, United States.

More haunted places in Oregon

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Public domain · Wikimedia Commons