Portland Noir: A look at what really happened in Portland's sordid past | Oregon Experience

[@nancystevens7447]

Portland was the “Big City” for my family for over a 100 yrs or more! It was exciting and fun,never frightening or dangerous. I really had no idea it was such a rough and tumble port where every kind of vice ran wild! Fascinating to learn about,thanks…..

[@tarriegibson1193]

I love how I get to see a pic of my ancestor chief Joseph at every beginning of these Oregon experience episodes. We have a very interesting history here.😊

[@negativex6026]

Interesting in a bad way .

[@nannynan5893]

Greatly admire Cheif Joseph, thank you for sharing. Love to hear this, many things we didn't hear in school.

[@jesswells8683]

Chief Joseph was a pedophile

[@nanwilder2853]

​@@negativex6026: “Interesting in a bad way”; just like the REST of America!

[@Azazel2024]

Mostly bad

[@marysmith3761]

I grew up in Portland. When I was a child & teenager, the city had an almost small town feel to it. It was pretty safe to be outside after dark. Now the city is teeming with Fentanyl & meth addicts & some places are dangerous to be in day or night. Homeless tents & junky campers are everywhere. Beautiful old houses and historic buildings are being torn down and apartments are being built in their place. The city is unrecognizable from the ‘80’s & ‘90’s. There’s nearly daily shootings, robberies, burglaries, carjackings, etc. The change is drastic and disturbing. The developers & leaders have ruined a beautiful city with their greed. It’s incredibly sad.

[@youareworthalot1228]

I hope it gets better. I was born in Portland. Also thought it was safe as a teen.

[@berndminde1674]

I've been in this incredible city since 1970. Not native, but seen quite a bit. (Old immigrant from Germany). I LOVE it here! Today ain't nuthin'! Be proud of yer home and do all you can to keep it as good as you can! Home Sweet Home!

[@FlyingCarp583]

@@berndminde1674say what? I’ve been here since 81 and have been a first responder for 21 years. It is without a doubt the city is declining fast. Especially after measure 110 past. Trust me or not, I see it and work with it every day. I will not have my kids go outside alone at anytime, and I wouldn’t advise others to do it as well. It is a result of liberal leadership and law making. It is sad indeed.

[@Azazel2024]

@ bernd hey Gruppenfurher move back . Your Brownshirts took over. They're good antifa

[@_G4.R4_]

sure, its all portland and leftist’s fault, the world must look so simple, easy, and black and white when you ignore the actual issues of america, shits stupid.

[@mackpines]

They say history can repeat itself. Guess I’m experiencing today what Portland was like back in the late 1800s. Violence, crime, drugs, corruption. Sounds all too familiar. I’ve come to the conclusion years ago that Portland has always had a rough and edgy reputation and always will. No matter how many people don’t admit it. God, I love living here! Another excellent documentary OPB!

[@user-High-IQ769]

I grew up in Oregon , 5 generations , Portland , most of the state can’t stand, Portland wasn’t the tough area by far, this county been whooping them for years, most won’t show up anymore , Portland has ALWAYS been soft, that’s where the wussies are

[@TJ-id6ee]

I love your attitude! I feel the same way when I visit from Olympia. I love the old logging towns and seaports. 💙🌲🌲

[@katherenewedic8076]

repeat? in never phkng changed

[@DeePresentsCrime19]

😅

[@valjean2036]

But how's dating ?😂

[@mrmeglomania]

There's art on the top floor of the downtown library by a guy named Stewart Holbrook, who did a lot of (let's call it) reporting on this early era. He's worth a look, too.

[@jomama5186]

How very cool !

[@patricialong5767]

I ate at Gus's bar which could rival Erickson's bar any time! I ate there when I was twelve with my father and family and ate there many many times there after. The food was unmatchable and the solid wooden bar ran clear across the building! So Erickson's bar was not the only one! In the old days, they served lumberjack's food, beef, etc. Very, very good!

[@TJ-id6ee]

Awesome documentary about the history of Portland!

[@robertafierro5592]

Wonderful.Documentary! Fantastic photographs! Thank you to everyone who made this film. There's nothing more interesting than the truth. I love History!

[@HeronPoint2021]

Portland is about the only northwest town the DiDN'T completely burn down back in the day. The includes Vancouver , BC in Canada. It make Portland the architect centre for the NW among other industries.

[@nannynan5893]

Some things so ironic in similarities; social ills, drugs, gangs, kidnapping, corruption, Deja vu 😢

[@edfleming9600]

As a native Portland, Oregonian, this is sortta curious. I've seen the prohibition tunnels.

[@ronanzann4851]

As have I. And they're not exclusive to Portland. We have them in other much smaller towns east along the Columbia as well.

[@danielkeene1623]

Many years ago, My wife was bar manager at McCormack and Schmicks Oak Street Restaurant. In the wine cellar there was one of the Shanghai Trap doors to the underground. It was also rumored to be haunted.

[@lisareed5669]

The haunted part REALLY adds to the believability.

[@jimfisher2451]

A great relief to hear the truth about Portland. Well researched and accurate. Finally.

[@Azazel2024]

Actually it's a leftist crock of shite

[@tiffanywhite9790]

I was born in Portland Oregon my birth place, so interesting. Really cool video, thanks for the history telling.

[@OldProVidios]

Boy, Portland hasn't changed.

[@wild-radio7373]

Absolutely FANTASTIC presentation ❤👍

[@natlenan6743]

Thank you. I get so sick of the current narrative around "not my city" concerning crime with pearl clutching. I'm like do you know nothing about Portland???

[@Azazel2024]

Are you seriously comparing the prohibition/ turn of gje century with today's leftist lost Portland? Sit down little boy

[@brianfergus839]

It’s such a tired trope. My brothers were visiting from the Philly area and I took them through the worst parts of PDX they couldn’t believe it wasn’t “burned out” and teeming with homeless. There were some, but they admitted they’ve been duped by all the WHINING

[@Porsche996driver]

Never knew about this parallel history with San Francisco but it all makes sense! Great storytelling.

[@BKaneNp8]

I enjoyed this, thanks for sharing. Greetings from Philly

[@shirleysmith9421]

So in this country if you were poor you were considered a slave didn't matter what race white, black, Chinese,native American Horrible history of American History. Shameful.😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@foxmanghost1822]

If I ever decide to become a teacher or history teacher in school, this is the type of stuff that I will let my kids that my students watch

[@Azazel2024]

Becusse its biased

[@brianfergus839]

@@Azazel2024 how is it “biased”?

[@bigtinyhomeadventurebigtin5201]

So Portland is getting back to it's roots...

[@ScottDLR]

We spent a weekend in Portland last winter and I can see we missed a lot! Thanks for a great vid.

[@blacknoise7997]

21:00 My great grandma's maiden name was Sullivan. She was born in Montana, then moved to Oregon in the late 1800s.

[@aaronlarsen7447]

Im no expert about what makes a good documentary, but i really enjoyed this one.

[@IntoTheMystery13]

Well done

[@uncledogg5156]

Heck yeah, I love local history.

[@davidanderson5767]

Is that any different from any other major city?

[@thePrisoner1000]

Yes and no, each has it's own flavor, for example, Denver doesn't have a water front.

[@ladybug5093]

Yes, it is.

[@airgunfun4248]

Nope

[@airgunfun4248]

@@thePrisoner1000 Water front is irrelevant it had all the vice and crime. The lie in this show is that Portland was worse than other city's

[@cherylpelletier3165]

No different

[@OhArchie]

Makes you wonder if Portland will be around long enough for someone to do a story on its sordid present...

[@kixigvak]

The lefties at OPB think everything is just fine in today's Portland.

[@blacknoise7997]

Yes. It's going to feature with Seattle as the near future Sodom and Gomorrah.

[@Zoe-c9z]

No necromancers

[@miltonbunch429]

It's currently getting cleaned up

[@Azazel2024]

Nothing is getting " cleaned up ". This place was a sewer in 2020 and 2021 . Seattle us worse. But leftists are liars and avoid reality

[@luxmaggie]

“Clean” is not a word I would use to describe Portland lol

[@sucha_shocker]

In the 90s I would have

[@airgunfun4248]

@@sucha_shocker Very much so

[@blacknoise7997]

I lived there in the 90s some areas were already bad by then.

[@Azazel2024]

In any sense

[@Cotif11]

Things change overtime, really?? What an absolutely novel concept, could have never considered that before wow. I thought everything was in a perpetual state, never-changing, and could never change in the future at all. Crazy. Remember New York in the 80's? Lol

[@Abijah12411]

Wow, this was interesting.

[@OldF1000]

Looks like Portland fell back into old habits

[@aaronlarsen7447]

This is a very good documentary of old Portand. It would be interesting to contrast with new Portland. There is more vice in Portland than ever. Prostitution, drug addiction, homelessness. Its sad. Its a beautiful area.

[@plumbi-fungi]

Imagine being arrested for "disorderly praying".

[@jimmymarx6294]

Doesn't seem to have changed very much since then.

[@airgunfun4248]

I can tell you personally it was one of the cleanest low crime city's in the world in the 80's 90's even early 2000's. Logic and accounts I have heard dictate that goes back to the 50's at least probably farther

[@FYMASMD]

@@airgunfun4248wrong. When any city quadruples in size in 40 years there are bound to be problems. What are you doing to help? The problems in Portland are everywhere in this country.

[@airgunfun4248]

@@FYMASMD nothing I said is contradictory to what you said. Have you bumped your head? I will however now clue you in on the fact that portland is much worse than many cities of similar size. And many smaller towns have none of it. "What are you doing to help " I got a little amusement from that absurd question. Thanks

[@airgunfun4248]

@@FYMASMD oh and what do you men "wrong"? I was there it was remarkably low crime and clean. Aas far as rapid growth sure that can cause problems. But the psychotic mismanagement of that town is far and away the biggest problem. You see the original comment implied it stayed dirty and bad the whole time. I was just pointing out the fact of the matter that it changed dramatically. You have to pay attention if your comment is going to make any sense

[@ScoutSniper3124]

Just finished watching Portland Expose (1957 movie), and researching some of the Life magazine expose of Portland crime that the film was 'loosely' based on. Hard to think that such a beautiful city was drug down by a criminal element, and even harder to believe that it's now the LEAST of their problems.

[@lindakay9552]

Omg. My 2nd great grandma's maiden name was Sullivan and have a record of Residence for her: 1880 • Cottonwood, Umatilla, Oregon, USA🤔 I have all kinds of shady suspicions about her son, my great grandpa. I gotta admit, Larry looks a heck a lot like my 3rd great grandfather.

[@blacknoise7997]

I wonder if OPB has ever done a video about the early Oregon architecture and why buildings now suck compared to then.

[@Azazel2024]

No but there is a video about pre 1908 Portland . Jaridboosters...I think is the YT channel

[@nanwilder2853]

The word “Noir” has no business in the title to this video! In fact, the makers of this 10 year old program only referenced “the Mob” once-without going into the decades of graft, corruption and crime that would follow. For that part of Portland’s history, Phil Stanford was the columnist/author to read! (I can’t recall whether he wrote his pulpy PDX history for the Oregon Journal or the Oregonian newspaper, but I was fascinated by those columns and books in my youth-along with what remained of downtown’s historic architecture.)

[@Azazel2024]

PBS caters to pseudo intellectual leftists that's why

[@markfilipas1763]

Phil Stanford wrote for the Oregonian back in the day, and ultimately wrote the book "Portland Confidential", one of the best historical accounts of Portland I know of. It recounts Portland history/crime/corruption from about the 1940's to the 80's. It basically picks up where this documentary leaves off, and packs into it even more detail than this video.

[@johng4093]

Hard to imagine it was as sordid as the current version.

[@chumpmu1]

"Erickson's Saloon bar was 684 feet long - almost as long as a city block." Yet, Portland blocks are less that 200x200 feet....wut?

[@thePrisoner1000]

Bars can curve and some buildings are bigger than a city block.

[@benchewan75]

Blocks were different back, then clearly downtown has had a few remakes. Most people know this, but the waterfront wasn’t even where it is today it was basically down by St. John’s Bridge.

[@neilost86]

Pretty sure it’s standard that ten blocks make a mile?

[@jamescarter3196]

As somebody else said, the blocks were a lot bigger back then, and you can see evidence of it on some of the older buildings. There's an old boarding house just off NW 23rd street which had a modern address in the 2300s, but you could see where the old street number was painted over, and it was the 700 block originally. So there's a casual calculation for you, 23 new blocks is equal to about 7 old blocks.

[@godfreydaniels1817]

The bar was U shaped, I believe.

[@greggoato6729]

These people are reaching out😮!!..

[@aldengoebel7223]

Where are the tents?

[@FYMASMD]

Up your a$$.

[@jolyngehl3038]

Masterfull architecture with shacks and now a circuit board Wow I hope more can see the discrepancies about real history. Thanks for trying Now lets create a new better way 🌅

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Welcome to Stump Town.

[@nanzyz]

Conclusion: Unfettered Capitalism sucks.

[@dave8k9hohnjmdavez57]

Unfettered honest and good will...with out capitalism you could not watch this vid nor comment

[@JuliaClark]

Until Portland's horrific past is addressed and robustly warned about Portland will not evolve beyond scandalous.

[@JuliaClark]

Human trafficking is a huge issue in Portland.

[@AnchoringHighFrequency]

@@JuliaClarkso is black magic… the witches and warlocks of those very secret societies behind said human trafficking…

[@AnchoringHighFrequency]

One big black magic portal… including the Portland Spirit 🛳️ Be weary of the man named Wizard living in John’s Landing walking the Willamette river path handing out books on karma…

[@RobertGeers-xu1hb]

Is Block Chain the work of an Oregonian? Why not?

[@patricialong5767]

A whole lot of the river or ocean side towns share a very similar past. If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself!

[@warrenpeece1726]

I miss opium dens!

[@jasminesmith7551]

… you’ve been to an opium den?

[@Saturnia2014]

@@warrenpeece1726 Wow, you're really old!

[@josephbradshaw5353]

Really nothing has changed here it’s just our leaders got better at hiding the crimes and their own.

[@HeronPoint2021]

Portland is a Port town. When was this first guy interviewed??? 1975? That shirt and tweed suit dates from there!!!

[@Azazel2024]

People here have no style at all

[@bler1890]

Please tell me this was produced in the 00s. I sure hope this really isn’t from 2023

[@nanwilder2853]

It says 2013 in the end credits, but I thought it appeared older.

[@FYMASMD]

Wow you are really lazy. 🙄

[@brianfergus839]

Why would that somehow be significant to you?

[@BrianMaxey-z9e]

My friend said that once logger's made their way to the tops of the mountains and logger's camps that coming down was damn near impossible you would have to hike or pack it out for 50 to 75 miles up in the camps against black bear's brown grizzly and Kodiak mountain lions cougers just to name a few things that would kill you and the elements and mountain tareene

[@BeingMe23]

Portland is not that unique. Just look at other cities with simular population

[@patricialong5767]

They did not call Portland Stumptown for nothing! There was Gus's saloon at which I dined with my family as a twelve year old and on into the future. The food was unmatchable and the solid wooden bar ran clear across the building so I'm quite sure it could rival Erickson's bar just about anytime! LOL

[@Azazel2024]

That's not where the name came from

[@brianfergus839]

@@Azazel2024 where did he say it was??

[@simonestreeter1518]

Haha! In the intro there is a quick shot of Free Willy getting free. Only to die as a reject later, but hey.

[@janejones5362]

Portland has NEVER been a "clean" town, and I'm 64. Beaverton is nicer.

[@duanedragon2]

What about their white privilege?

[@AnchoringHighFrequency]

Just half of the Masonic checkerboard… the pawns change while the game stays the same…

[@StyleFruit2]

3:51 upvote if you can think of any certain group of people or place in the world that it would NOT be huge news for ~30 ppl to die in 2023 :(

[@braedenh6858]

42 people were shot, 7 fatally, in Chicago just last weekend. If 42 wounded and dead don't make headlines, I doubt 30 would.

[@heatherlygillpatrick9414]

The Chinese does the underground tunnels and Pendleton I’m sure they dug them in Portland to

[@KrazyKnss]

Wow someone seriously sat there and waited for Michael p. Jones to pass away to discredit his life's work The pettiness level is at an all time high This seriously came out like right after his death smdh

[@wldlvndr9934]

No mention of Black people being banned?? It's uncomfortable and awful but you can't leave that out. I recently saw a video of a woman talking about how it was in her deed that she wasn't allowed to sell her house to a Black person. She was the latest homeowner and said she wouldn't sign it unless it was changed, but she was told it was unchangeable.

[@chumpmu1]

The pompous nature of these "historians" language is laughable. I guess it doesn't take any "skill" do work in the farm fields, or forests....got it.

[@TrillKump]

The Lotus? 8:14

[@negativex6026]

Seems like the same kind of scumbags still live there .

[@robertafierro5592]

No joke about being Shanghaied. People don't realize how easy it is to switch drugs and dose women at bars..it happens all the time in Manhattan. T& victims are too embarrassed to report the crimes

[@BrianMaxey-z9e]

I was told about this older guy who was a logger and had a old diary of what he did and his logger guys he had worked with about being with each other and partners who were forced to do male prostitutes or were young and ended up being couples

[@umberto488]

You should see their present lol

[@brianfergus839]

Portland is a beautiful city. Please stay away.

[@sherylcrowe3255]

Neo Portland Noir

[@chumpmu1]

"It wasn't desirable to be next to the river, people thought of it as a sewer." So, how is that different from today w/ the "Big Pipe"??!

[@thePrisoner1000]

Huge difference and with a tiny amount of research: The East Side Big Pipe is a large sewer line and tunnel in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is part of a combined sewer system of pipes, sumps, drains, pumps, and other infrastructure that transports sewage and stormwater run-off to the city's Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant. The East Side Big Pipe project, begun in 2006 and finished in 2011, was the largest of a 20-year series of projects designed to nearly eliminate combined sewer overflows (CSO)s into the Willamette River and the Columbia Slough. The combined projects were completed on time, and they reduced CSOs into the river by 94 percent and into the slough by more than 99 percent.

[@rcnyoplait]

Well if you are relying on the media for facts...😅

[@davidanderson5767]

Cynicism, if that's what it is, is pointless and cheap.

[@airgunfun4248]

@@davidanderson5767 Blind following of propaganda causes mass murder

[@brianfergus839]

Much better to just make up your own reality, huh?

[@robertgarrett3002]

Keep Portland weird? Legalize hard drugs, camping on sidewalks, and anarchy.

[@harveypost7799]

Didn't realize library meeting place for portland KKK

[@cinnamongirl5410]

Sordid PAST?? Helloooooo...

[@ambermclaughlin3852]

WAS.... past tense

[@brianfergus839]

Funny thing about HISTORY 🤔

[@jeffpetrie7744]

Today the blocks along Portland's waterfront seem to be a brutalist waste of concrete. It could be SO MUCH MORE. That park is really just a waste of space at this point.

[@justrosy5]

Ok, no such thing as "disorderly praying," but "disturbing the peace" would have been a valid charge.

[@Azazel2024]

You know this practice of pointing at the more questionable parts of history to excuse your current 40 year democratic run fiasco isn't very clever. And frankly you cherry picked events. You also really left out most of early Portland's history

[@brianfergus839]

⬆️ professional whiner

[@Nurjamila1]

What a horrible story! WTH Portland Police????

[@mikestanavech7858]

Stories are told that most history of Portland was canceled so this whole video is suspect.

[@brianfergus839]

Portland actually has no history. It just suddenly appeared in 1977.

[@mikestanavech7858]

@@brianfergus839 figured as much. Aliens.

[@RyanSauvageau-t8s]

🖤🤍❤️ 💙

[@turkred5275]

1

[@joshlebus8527]

This is such a lame and distractive depiction of what really happened during the period from 1830-1940. What are you all hiding?

[@createa.googleaccount713]

😄

[@wonder7798]

Immigrants refugees children

[@francesbernard2445]

I am sure there is more large cities in North America with a similar history. When it comes to MEthamphetamines too there is no grey area. You either believe in it or you don't. You cannot be only leukwarm about much of anything that has been for a long time called illegal. Like when adding things you should not be to fermented liquid which people make to drink in a tavern made to look like what royals would dine in. Queen Victoria outlawed one such mix once.

[@williamclark1091]

This is just a prolonged edition of revisionist history. Go fact checking yourself.

[@jamescarter3196]

So you don't really know anything about this subject at all. You're not a source of facts.

[@brianfergus839]

Please describe what you think is “revisionist” about this excellent video or STFU

[@chumpmu1]

So, it's just myth/legend if something is done off the books - got it, so laughable

[@jamescarter3196]

Dude you are just sad

[@user-zx8de8op9l]

Well done