‘Desperado’ became P-town’s first police chief

About this episode

The episode discusses James Lappeus, Portland's first police chief, and his controversial past as a gambler and saloonkeeper.

James Lappeus came to Portland from the gold fields of California, where he was a gambler, saloonkeeper and general mining-town rowdy. His career as a cop was dogged by rumors he'd offered to spring a murderer for a $1,000 bribe. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1850s, 1860s, 1870s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1207a-james-lappeus-crooked-gambler-police-chief-in-portland.html)

Topics covered

• history
• crime
• law enforcement
• Portland
• 19th century

Keywords

• James Lappeus
• Portland police chief
• California gold fields
• 19th century crime
• saloonkeeper

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Multnomah County

Places: Portland, California

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