Old Town Portland — Unearth the Shanghai Tunnels Secret

Your quest begins at Skidmore Fountain, erected in 1888 by Henry Weinhard. This 55-foot-tall fountain, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, is the heart of Ankeny Square and Old Town Chinatown. It served as a public watering point, and its location testifies to the central role of the district, once Portland's first downtown developed in the 1850s. Surrounding it, 19th-century buildings recall the city's port origins, a key sector for Oregon's economy and Portland's unofficial nickname: "The City That Works."

As you head towards Waterfront Park, you pass the remnants of Portland's former industrial waterfront. This linear park, developed in the 1970s, stretches for about 1.5 km in the Old Town area. Here stood the historic docks of the 1890s where ships once berthed. It was from this location that the famous Shanghai Tunnels, or Portland Underground Tours, began. These underground passages were used to transport goods directly to the basements of businesses and hotels, avoiding surface traffic, a common practice in this Oregon district.

The exploration of the Shanghai Tunnels Myth leads you to the Merchant Hotel, now Old Town Pizza & Brewing. Built in 1880, this luxury hotel is renowned for its original lobby, whose reception desk now serves as a counter. Guided 'Haunted Shanghai Tunnel Tours' of 90 minutes have departed from this site since the 1970s, offering access to a 14,000-square-foot portion of the old basements. The original decorative cast-iron posts of the Merchant Hotel, visible in the restaurant, are silent witnesses to the tales of 'shanghaiing' and human trafficking that marked the history of this Portland neighborhood in the late 19th century.

Your journey then takes you to the Chinatown Gate, a monumental 40-foot-tall gate, erected in 1986 at the entrance to Old Town Chinatown. Adorned with traditional Chinese tiles and dragons, it marks the historic district where Chinese immigrants lived in the 19th century. Located less than 500m from the historic basements of the Shanghai Tunnels, it symbolizes the link between the Chinese community and the waterfront's port activities. This gate is an important landmark for understanding Portland's heritage and its historic district.

At the end of this stroll through the Old Town Chinatown Historic District, you will have unearthed the layers of history hidden beneath Portland's cobblestones. From the legends of tunnels sealed in 1940 to the proven facts of crimping and illegal trade, you've seen how this district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, shaped Oregon's identity. The thematic circuit has revealed a resilient city, "The City That Works," where every edifice tells a part of its tumultuous past and its evolution into a modern metropolis, rich in its heritage and secrets.