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History of Old Town

Bars, floods and crimping

Listen to stories about Old Town's past as Doug Kenck-Crispin tells interesting stories which includes Erickson's Saloon, the mysterious Shanghai Tunnels, Portland's historic floods, the short-lived freeway known as Harbor Drive (now Tom McCall Waterfront Park) and more!

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A Laborer's Retreat

The history of Erickson's Saloon

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The Unstoppable August Erickson

August Erickson vs. the 1894 flood

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A Transient Population

The mobile workforce of the 1880s

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Erickson's: Yesterday and Today

An ornate, fancy place for working men

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Crimping

Using debt to crew a ship

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The Shanghai Tunnels Fallacy

Portland's underground myth

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Freeways to Greenways

The origins of Tom McCall Park