Pendleton Underground Tours

Attn: Make sure you call ahead to plan your tour as the staff does not have set hours of operation.  The Pendleton Underground Tours office is located in Pendleton's Historic District, on the corner of SW 1st Street and Emigrant Avenue. The buildings that house the tours are: the Empire Building, 1907, The Hendricks Building, 1897 and the Empire Meat Company, 1895. All properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Pendleton Underground Tours' properties are in what was once the red light district of Pendleton. The buildings on the tour have been maintained, true to the original state, allowing the visitor to see the sidewalks and basalt-rock tunnels the way they were constructed pre 1890's. This special authenticity adds to their uniqueness, making the tours what they are today. Pendleton Underground is an area of tunnels in the downtown redlight district where many businesses operated in the early 1900s. Although most of the tunnels have been filled in, some remain and are open to the public for tours. One place visited on the tours is said to be haunted, a living quarters for Chinese immigrants; the ghost is said to hang out in the room’s far left corner.