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Portage
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Portage
Portage1, 2 pôr'təj; 3 pôr'tĭj. 1 Town (1990 pop. 29,060), Porter co., NW Ind., a suburb of Gary, on Lake Michigan; inc. 1959. The town, which was once surrounded by great industries, manufactures steel and a number of other goods. It is also a shipping center; Burns International Harbor, built in the 1970s, accommodates ocean vessels. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (see National Parks and Monuments, table) is nearby.

2 City (1990 pop. 46,042), Kalamazoo co., SW Mich.; inc. 1963. There is printing, tool and die manufacture, and motor vehicle assembly. Other manufactures include metal and plastic products and chemicals.

3 City (1990 pop. 8,640), seat of Columbia co., central Wis.; inc. 1854. In 1673, Louis Jolliet and Father Marquette were the first Europeans to use the important portage link in the water route from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi. The path has become a ship canal, and the city is an agricultural trade center with some light manufacturing industry. Part of Fort Winnebago (1828) has been restored as a museum. Zona Gale and Frederick Jackson Turner were born in Portage.

Wikipedia search results for: Portage
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Portage refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter. The name portage is derived from the french word "portage" and the french verb "porter" : to carry. Early French explorers ventured in New France and French Louisiana encountered many rapids and cascades. The Amerindians carried their canoes over land to avoid river obstacles. The french coureurs des bois and trappers used the french word "portage". Over time, important portages were...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Portage
Results 1 - 10  of 34
  • Portage Lake

    Portage Lake, inlet of Keweenaw Bay, c.20 mi (32 km) long and 2 mi (3.2 km) wide, N Mich., indenting the southeast shore of Keweenaw peninsula. An old portage route connected it with Lake Supe...

  • Portage la Prairie

    Portage la Prairie, city (1991 pop. 13,186), S Man., Canada. It is the center of a mixed-farming region and has diversified industries. The city is near the site of Fort La Reine, an important...

  • Long, Stephen Harriman

    Long, Stephen Harriman, 1784–1864, American explorer, b. Hopkinton, N.H. As an army engineer, Long was sent on several exploring and surveying expeditions. The first in 1817 was to the region ...

  • Lyons, village, United States

    Lyons, village (1990 pop. 9,828), Cook co., NE Ill., a residential suburb of Chicago, on the Des Plaines River; inc. 1888. Lyons was settled at the edge of an early travel route, the portage b...

  • Ravenna, city, United States

    Ravenna, city (1990 pop. 12,069), seat of Portage co., NE Ohio, in a lake and farm area; settled 1799, inc. 1852. Named after the Italian city, Ravenna has diverse light manufactures.

  • Stevens Point

    Stevens Point, city (1990 pop. 23,006), seat of Portage co., central Wis., on the Wisconsin and Plover rivers; inc. 1858. The major industries are insurance and the manufacture of wood product...

  • Fox, river, United States

    Fox, river, 176 mi (283 km) long, rising in S central Wis. and flowing SW to within 1.5 mi (2.4 km) of Portage, Wis., on the Wisconsin River, then NE through Lake Winnebago into Green Bay, an ...

  • Dells of the Wisconsin

    Dells of the Wisconsin, The Dells, or The Wisconsin Dells, scenic part of the Wisconsin River, central Wis., NW of Portage. The river has cut a deep gorge through 8 mi (12.9 km) of sandstone, ...

  • Keweenaw

    Keweenaw, peninsula, 60 mi (97 km) long, projecting NE from the W Upper Peninsula, NW Mich., into Lake Superior. Portage Lake and a connecting ship canal cut across the middle of the peninsula...

  • Wisconsin, river, United States

    Wisconsin, river, c.430 mi (690 km) long, rising in the lake district, NE Wis., and flowing generally SW across central Wis. to the Mississippi River near Prairie du Chien. At Portage it is co...

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