Ebook: The Oregon Shanghaiers: Columbia River Crimping from Astoria to Portland

In the hardscrabble early days of Portland’s seaport,
“shanghaiing” or “crimping” ran rampant. The proprietors of crooked saloons and
sailors’ boardinghouses coerced unwitting patrons to work on commercial ships.
Shanghaiers like James Turk, Bunko Kelley and Billy Smith unashamedly forced
men into service and stole the wages of their victims. By the 1890s, these
shanghaiers had become powerful enough to influence the politics of Astoria and
Portland, charging sea captains outrageous fees for unskilled laborers and
shaping maritime trade around a merciless black market. For nearly a century,
the exploits of these notorious crimpers have existed mainly in lore. Now
historian Barney Blalock offers a lively and meticulously researched account of
these colorful and corrupt men, revealing an authentic account of Oregon’s
malicious maritime legends.