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Shanghai Tunnels
Beneath Portland's streets, tunnels were used to kidnap drunk men and sell them as ship labor—'Shanghaied' to sea. Thousands were taken, many died. Now their ghosts wander the tunnels. Tours report screams, shadow figures, and intense dread.
1850s - Present
Portland, Oregon, USA
5000+ witnesses
The Shanghai Tunnels hide Portland’s darkest history.
The Practice
Shanghaiing:
- Men drugged
- Dropped through trap doors
- Held in tunnels
- Sold to ship captains
- Forced labor at sea
How It Worked
The method:
- Saloons with trap doors
- Tunnels to waterfront
- Holding cells
- Auctions
- Ships waiting
The Scale
How many:
- Thousands over decades
- 1850s-1940s
- Portland infamous
- Major port city
- Many never returned
The Deaths
Who died:
- In the tunnels
- During transport
- At sea
- From opium
- From violence
The Hauntings
What’s reported:
- Screaming heard
- Shadow figures
- Cold spots
- Feeling of dread
- Full apparitions
Today
Current status:
- Tours offered
- Highly haunted
- Historical significance
- Portland Underground
- Popular attraction