Portage: The Fox-Wisconsin Portage and the Continental Divide
Portage takes its name from the narrow strip of land that Native Americans and fur traders used to carry canoes between the Fox River and the Wisconsin River. The two rivers flow in opposite directions at this point, the Fox north and east to Lake Michigan via Green Bay, and the Wisconsin south and west to the Mississippi. This made the portage one of the most important transportation choke points in the Great Lakes fur trade, and the French established a trading post here in the 17th century.
The Portage Canal, completed in 1876, connected the two rivers artificially but never achieved its intended commercial purpose because the Wisconsin River proved too shallow for reliable navigation. The canal is now maintained as a historic feature. Fort Winnebago, built in 1828 to control the portage after the Black Hawk conflicts, has left a surgeons' quarters that survives as a museum.
The city serves as the county seat of Columbia County and has a population of about 10,500. Novelist Zona Gale, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, grew up in Portage and her 1916 novella "Miss Lulu Bett" drew on the city. Her home on Edgewater Street has been preserved as a literary landmark. The Columbia County Historical Society operates museums at both the Zona Gale House and Fort Winnebago surgeons' quarters.
The directory at Escortservice.com lists escort websites offering Portage coverage. Escortservice.com does not run introductions, confirm identities of advertisers, or take part in any transactions. Access requires a minimum age of 21.
Show more
Portage takes its name from the narrow strip of land that Native Americans and fur traders used to carry canoes between the Fox River and the Wisconsin River. The two rivers flow in opposite directions at this point, the Fox north and east to Lake Michigan via Green Bay, and the Wisconsin south and west to the Mississippi. This made the portage one of the most important transportation choke points in the Great Lakes fur trade, and the French established a trading post here in the 17th century.
The Portage Canal, completed in 1876, connected the two rivers artificially but never achieved its intended commercial purpose because the Wisconsin River proved too shallow for reliable navigation. The canal is now maintained as a historic feature. Fort Winnebago, built in 1828 to control the portage after the Black Hawk conflicts, has left a surgeons' quarters that survives as a museum.
The city serves as the county seat of Columbia County and has a population of about 10,500. Novelist Zona Gale, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, grew up in Portage and her 1916 novella "Miss Lulu Bett" drew on the city. Her home on Edgewater Street has been preserved as a literary landmark. The Columbia County Historical Society operates museums at both the Zona Gale House and Fort Winnebago surgeons' quarters.
The directory at Escortservice.com lists escort websites offering Portage coverage. Escortservice.com does not run introductions, confirm identities of advertisers, or take part in any transactions. Access requires a minimum age of 21.
Country selected
Region selected
City selected
