Port Salem was the original port along Bonny Bay, part of the original settlement founded by Sir Richard Salem and Bartholomew Lockley. Due to the relative steep slopes of the coast and the small opening into the bay (making it almost a cove), the weather was generally favorable near the bay, as opposed to farther inland.
The large amount of early construction projects along the coast, with many properties having comparatively large gardens, weakened the soil over generations. Slides were common, but few proved destructive to any buildings. In 1813, a large earthquake caused a landslide along much of the coast to sink into the bay or be buried in silt. The hilltops surrounding the bay, above most of the port, collapsed as well, sliding on top of the lower buildings; the bay did not widen much, due to this.
The time period was poorly documented, especially with most of the documents of the time being destroyed in the earthquake and landslides. Due to this, most of the original Port Salem was not discovered until nearly a century later, in 1901, once construction was underway on a inner-city subway project. Many of the original buildings are still intact and merely buried beneath sand, silt, and soil. The workers on the subway project, known simply as the Underground, cleared out navigable tunnels corresponding to a few of the original streets. However, the city deemed the project not cost effective, and dangerous, and the rest of Port Salem lays buried.