Shanghai Tunnels (Portland Underground) myth

Legend holds that a network of underground tunnels beneath Old Town Chinatown was used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to kidnap men for merchant ships ('shanghaiing'). Historians and researchers, including collections at the Oregon Historical Society, say that while underground passages and basement connections exist, the scale and commonality of systematic shanghaiing via these tunnels is disputed and likely exaggerated. The story has been popularized by tours and local lore rather than conclusive archival evidence.