Portland, Oregon, was a large, bustling port city in the 19th century, where ships laden with grain stopped before continuing on to Europe or the shores of Asia.
In order to meet all the needs of the sailors, the city had many brothels, gambling establishments and secret bars that arose during the prohibition era. As an important export hub, Portland also gained a reputation as one of the most dangerous ports in the country, nicknamed the "Forbidden City of the West," where you could find trash and criminals of all kinds going about their dark deeds.
The reputation as a den of evil, sin and crime has led to the emergence of many different legends, some of which tell of a complex system of tunnels dug under the city, where many people met their sad fate.
Originally, these tunnels and underground rooms were designed to store cargo, keep it out of rain and allow quick movement between warehouses and ships. Many aboveground structures had intersecting basements and tunnels that led to the docks, forming an underground labyrinth.
With all this in mind, it was only a matter of time before it would be used for criminal purposes. It is alleged that many illegal gambling establishments lurked in the dark corners of these tunnels. Many tunnels were in the Chinatown area.
Portland historian Barney Blaylock says that many of the tunnels were created by the Chinese during the time Chinatown was the center of gangs belonging to various clans. Chinatown's underground casinos, brothels, and opium censors connected to various parts of the underground labyrinth, with steel doors, traps, secret passages and escape tunnels.
All of this was intended both to act in case of clashes with rival gangs, and in order to get away from police raids. These tunnels are sometimes referred to as the "Old Portland Dungeons". It is believed that they had another, darker purpose. There are many stories that they were used for the local jargon called "Shanghai" affairs.
It is about the abduction of people and their further use as slaves. Most often it was about working on ships, but many women were sold into sexual slavery, and sometimes slaves were even used as food for the crew that fell into a calm and spent all supplies.
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Be that as it may, in the case of the Portland tunnels, it is widely believed that they were deliberately enlarged, and many of them led to bars, taverns, restaurants and numerous establishments that offered a huge variety of illegal goods and services.
Someone who got lost here, being drunk, drugged, or simply careless, could well have been captured and turned into a slave. Or he could fall into one of the traps, fall into a dark pit, where slavers would attack him.
Since many of the people who found themselves in these places were travelers, for whom Portland was just another point on a long journey, or sailors from distant lands, in most cases no one was looking for them. It is believed that thousands of people may have disappeared in one way or another in the underground catacombs of Portland.
GUSAKOVA IRINA YURIEVNA
