Seedy, Seamy & Sinful Portland Tour
With Doug Kenck-Crispin
Saturday, October 27, 4PM-6PM
Meets outside Voodoo Doughnuts
As a center for shipping and labor in the Pacific Northwest, Portland has often had the reputation of a rugged, uncouth town, more than willing to allow the loggers, miners and fishermen an opportunity to part with their hard earned cash. Saloons, gambling halls and bordellos flourished in “Whitechapel,” “The North End,” or Old Town, as we call it today. Some of these physical spaces are just a memory, but others have carried into our present era, and some say Portland, or “Strip City,” still has that coarse and lascivious reputation to this day. Join Doug as we visit sites of famous saloons and bordellos, opium dens and card rooms, some of which are still in operation today. The tour will “end” outside of Mary’s Club, one of Portland’s most venerated strip clubs. Feel free to join Doug inside for an adult beverage at the conclusion of the tour! (*This tour is best suited for those 21+)
Tour Guide Biography
Doug Kenck-Crispin is the Ribald Resident Historian from www.orhistory.com. He researches, writes and co-produces the bi-weekly podcast series Kick Ass Oregon History, recently featured in the Portland Mercury and Portland Monthly. He has a BA in History, and is nearing completion of his MA in Public History, with an emphasis on the History of the Pacific Northwest (Portland State University). A lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, Doug enjoys a good yarn — the more outlandish and unseemly the better — especially when they are true!
