Joe Streckert takes good advantage of his years as a Portland tour-guide in this engaging collection of stories from Portland history.
Storied & Scandalous Portland, Oregon
A History of Gambling, Vice, Wits, and Wagers
Description
When vice and scandal are all fun and games.
Portland, Oregon began as a town of itinerant young men who had no shortage of diversions at the end of the workday. This city grew up with lots of revelry and little regulation. After the last tree fell in logging season and after the workday ended on the docks, those young men broke out the cards. Saloon culture quickly took hold in Portland, offering alcohol, sex, gambling, and other diversions. This book traces the storied and scandalous history of Portland, from the underground and elite saloons and gambling rings to the vice, scandal, and fun they brought. Readers will meet the impresarios, gangsters, and racketeers who colored Portland’s history.
Reviews
Storied & Scandalous Portland, Oregon is the book on vice in the Rose City that I've been waiting for! It's a fascinating topic heretofore covered solely in stodgy academia or exploitative recounts of the history. Storied and Scandalous rides the fine line between detailed and entertaining to create an extremely readable and thoroughly informative look at old Portland. Joe Streckert's affection for Portland is evident, but it never clouds his commitment to thoughtfulness, consideration, and accuracy when it comes to relaying intriguing and provocative tales from the past. He brings figures from yesteryear into context in a way that makes them feel real, all while drawing some enlightening connections between the city's past and present. If you read one book on vice in Stumptown, make it this one!
Storied & Scandalous Portland, Oregon is a whirlwind tour of the "sporting" side of Stumptown. It's a fantastic collection of wonderful stories, briefly and evocatively told, tracking the changes in Portland's gambling scene from the crooked Faro banks of the 1860s to the pinball rackets of the 1950s and beyond. Highly recommended!
