Portland, Oregon, was one of the most dangerous ports in the U.S. during the early 19th century; this PNW town was the epicenter of an illicit and inhumane maritime practice known as shanghaiing.

Rose City, Bridge City, Rip City, Stumptown. The list of Portland’s nicknames is long and charming—ever wonder where they all came from? Maybe you’re more interested in learning about the Shanghai ...

While originally designed for storage and transportation, the Shanghai Tunnels were also used to traffic — or “shanghai” — men from the streets of Portland to work as unpaid laborers on ship crews.