F I R S TP R E V177NEXTLAST

Back Alley, Chinatown
Chinatown's backstreets have always been perceived as veiled in mystery. Due to immigration restrictions the vast majority of 19th century Chinese in San Francisco were male. This resulted in Chinatown's becoming a center of illicit operations. Washington Street housed no less than twenty-two gambling dens, Pike Street was the site of a bloody battle between Chinese tongs over the prostitution trade, and opium dens were secreted everywhere. This notorious reputation was fueled in the 1800s by racist campaigns in newspapers, corrupt city officials, and gangs of hoodlums who preyed upon the Chinese. Even today rumors persist of a network of underground tunnels housing secret businesses and hideouts beneath the streets of Chinatown. While these stories are apocryphal they add exotic allure to this neighborhood.
[ MAP F-15 ]