pendleton underground tour

Basketballmama1

I was born and raised in Pendleton and never knew there was such an underground community built right under our little town. Amazing history opened up with tours of saloons, brothels, butcher shop, bowling alley (honestly), Chinese cleaners, bath house, hidden rooms for gambling and drinking, Chinese prison, opium dens, and the first location of the famous Pendleton Woolen Mills! They have a live reenactment once a year (fun)! Not wheelchair accessible, and may not be best for the elderly or little ones because of the stairs, uneven floors and long tour...be otherwise...A MUST SEE!

JohnandDeanna

Thoroughly appreciated hearing about the history of Pendleton during our underground tour.It is a tours like this one that covey's a true , often colorful sometimes sad period of history. Pendleton had a sunset clause regarding the local Chinese Population .The role played by the Working Women in the Bordellos of their day provided a very human side to the tour. It is my belief that the continued accurate reporting of local history is very important. Full marks to our tour guide.

andreso760

When we got to the building where the tour started and seeing the outer façade, I wasn’t too convinced. Not knowing what to expect, I thought this was going to be one of those cheesy tours where they make a big hype about something in a small town that just isn’t there. Having say that, I was completely wrong about it. When the tour started and we got “down” to the first room, it was like going back in time. The tour guide explained the history on it, and I was really impressed. Half way into the tour, it kept on getting better and better. Not the most glamorous history but a real and factual one indeed. That was what sold it for me. I thought these places were made up for Cowboy movies. Imagine, at the time, this place was somewhat of a “Las Vegas” per say. Close to the end of the tour, I was the one taking the pictures!! Great local history. If you are in town, stop by for the tour, you will not regret it.

IsisRae

We did walk under the sidewalks and buildings of old Pendleton, but it was the stories and history of this area that really made it worthwhile.

Mahsati

We had so much fun on this tour. It was well over 90 minutes when we were finally done, and took us through the basements and underbelly of Pendleton. We learned about the Chinese that came over during the gold rush and lived by doing laundry in these basements, and then how the rooms were then used as a speakeasy in the Prohibition era, along with being a butcher shop, an ice cream parlor and much more. The trip ended with a journey through a famous Madam's brothel, that finally closed about 50 years ago. Lots to see and tons of atmosphere. Well worth the money. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and you could tell she really loved sharing what she knew with her tour. Highly Recommended!

traveltree52053

Really interesting what can be found in basements although the Bordellos were above ground.The Chinese were gone by the 1920's well before my schoolboy years 1946-1958 but Cosy Rooms was around until about 1963. It was whispered about but I had no idea it was right across Main Street from where my Grandparents took me to after church lunch. I walked right past the entry door every time I went to a matinee at the Rivoli Theater.Today a Statue of the Madam, Miss Stella Darby graces Main Street at the Stairway Door to the Brothel. Some citizens find the statue a problem, unfortunately.The Tour Guide we had was excellent. Reservations are required, they are closed on Sunday.A pre-read of the history of the Chinese Railway workers of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries was something I should have done, but I did it post tour, interesting/appalling. Might want to check out ice production in those times too.

orbigfoot

Took the tour of the underground of Pendleton. Highly recommend it to who ever likes history. Was very informative and fun. Was interesting and wished it would have extended to the other areas but can only do so much. If you visit Pendleton, this is a must stop for history of the town.

db145

I highly recommend this great tour! It was very Interesting and our tour guide knew her stuff!! Lots of walking so wear comfortable shoes. One of the others on this tour stated this tour was even better than the Seattle Underground tour.

VernonG507

We took the Pendleton Underground tour in August, 2014. It was very informative and interesting as to how this underground, inhabited by Chinese came to be. There is a lot of history to this tour. A must see for those visiting the area that haven't been on this tour.

travelnotebook

Excellent tour guide offering a well organized, comprehensive tour of a most impressive old west underground. Spellbinding, like going back in time.

648liza

If you have done the Seattle Underground Tour then this will seem like small potatoes. However, it is a fun way to learn about the early history of Pendleton!!! Our tour guide was cheerful and full of information!!

KatiesDaddy

My goodness, there was a whole underground village going on beneath the buildings and streets of the town of Pendleton, Oregon! It was built by incredibly hard working Chinese laborers, many of whom lived there, underground, while serving the needs of the community above. Basically, they were a severely oppressed and abused minority. Sadly, it was legal to shoot a "China-man" on sight, for no reason. So this 'underground' history is often very troubling and sad. But there is a later, less brutal history, too, involving illegal booze, gambling and prostitution, you know, the fun stuff! The creators of Pendleton Underground Tours tell it all, honestly, and they deserve much credit for sharing the history of their town, both the very bad and the good. Don't miss this fascinating tour!

SuzanneF3

A friend recommended this tour, and my husband and I are very glad he did. It was very interesting learning about the Chinese situation in Pendleton, seeing the underground rooms with their secret passages (very handy during Prohibition), and then going to a nearby building which had been a bordello. It also had a escape route in case of raids. The tour is listed as lasting 1 1/2 hours, but ours was 2 1/4 hours. There are benches in many of the underground rooms so you are not standing the whole time. There are about 15 steps down (and, of course, then up again) for the underground part, and about 32 steps up to the bordello with fewer steps down the back way. I have trouble with stairs but was able to manage quite well by using a cane. There are handrails everywhere, too. One woman who was using oxygen decided against doing the bordello portion, but she managed very well on the underground part. We heartily recommend this tour. You need to make reservations, but we called about 1 p.m. on a Thursday in the summer and were able to get on the 2:30 tour. There are restrooms available before the tour, but not during it.

dsscoug

The tour is fun. It's neat to see the "old" parts of town. However for one of the few tourist attractions, they don't run many tours. More scheduling options would make it a lot easier to take the tour.

DeborahT254

Very disappointed that our tour was cancelled. we had checked out of our room and had our tour booked for 1pm. got a call at noon saying we may not be going on the tour because they did not have enough people, then got a call at 12:30pm saying it was cancelled. so we waited around for 2hrs for nothing. not good customer service. at least they gave our money back.