Portage is a city in

Columbia County, Wisconsin Columbia County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 58,490. Its county seat and largest city is Portage, Wisconsin, Portage. The county ...

, United States, and its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in Columbia County. It is part of the Madison metropolitan area. Portage was named for the Fox–Wisconsin Waterway, a

portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

between the Fox River and the

Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, at approximately 430 miles (692 km) long. As a tributary of the Mississippi River, it is part of the Mississippi River System. The river's name was first recorded in 1673 b ...

, which was recognized by

Jacques Marquette Jacques Marquette, Society of Jesus, S.J. (; June 1, 1637 – May 18, 1675), sometimes known as Père Marquette or James Marquette, was a French Society of Jesus, Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste. M ...

and

Louis Joliet Louis Jolliet (; September 21, 1645after May 1700) was a French-Canadian explorer known for his discoveries in North America. In 1673, Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit Catholic priest and missionary, were the first non-Natives to explore ...

during their discovery of a route to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

in 1673. The city's slogan is "Where the North Begins."

History

The Native American tribes that once lived here, and later the

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an traders and settlers, took advantage of the lowlands between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers as a natural "

". This is reflected in indigenous names for the town, such as the

Menominee The Menominee ( ; meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recognized tribe of Na ...

name ''Kahkāmohnakaneh'', which means "at the short cut". In May 1673,

joined the expedition of

Louis Jolliet Louis Jolliet (; September 21, 1645after May 1700) was a French-Canadian explorer known for his discoveries in North America. In 1673, Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit Catholic priest and missionary, were the first non-Natives to explore ...

, a French-Canadian explorer, to find the

. They departed from St. Ignace on May 17, with two canoes and five voyageurs of French-Indian ancestry (

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

). They followed Lake Michigan to Green Bay and up the Fox River, nearly to its headwaters. From there, they were told to portage their canoes a distance of slightly less than two miles through marsh and oak plains to the Wisconsin River. Later, French fur traders described the place as "le portage", which eventually lent itself to the name of the community. As a portage, this community developed as a center of commerce and trade; later, a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

was constructed to facilitate this trade. When the railroads came through, the community continued in this role. Portage emerged at this place because of its unique position along the one and a half mile strip of marshy floodplain between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. By the end of the 17th century, the Fox-Wisconsin waterway, linked at the Portage, served as the major fur trade thoroughfare between Green Bay and Prairie du Chien. It was not until the 1780s and 1790s that traders built their posts and warehouses at each end of the Portage. In the early 19th century Portage was primarily populated by

. In 1828, the federal government recognized the strategic economic importance of The Portage and built Fort Winnebago at the Fox River end. After 15 years of controversy, Winnebago settlement (now Portage) won the

in 1851. The community incorporated as Portage City in 1854. The Portage business district lies along a hill that overlooks the Portage Canal. The buildings now in the city's downtown were once part of a bustling, urban commercial center serving a large region across north central Wisconsin. The building of the city paralleled its commercial prominence between the end of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and the second decade of the 20th century.

Historic sites

* Fort Winnebago Surgeon's Quarters Historic Site * Fox-Wisconsin Portage Site * Henry Merrell House * Old Indian Agency House * Portage Industrial Waterfront Historic District * Portage Retail Historic District * Zona Gale House * Museum at the Portage * Wisconsin American Legion Museum and Learning Center * Portage Canal Society * Historic Portage Canal * World War II History Museum * Wisconsin State Historical Markers in Portage ** Fort Winnebago Surgeon's Quarters Historic Site **

Frederick Jackson Turner Frederick Jackson Turner (November 14, 1861 – March 14, 1932) was an American historian during the early 20th century, based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison until 1910, and then Harvard University. He was known primarily for his front ...

and

** Ketchum's Point ** Potter's Emigration Society ** Society Hill Historic District **

Zona Gale Zona Gale (August 26, 1874 – December 27, 1938), also known by her married name, Zona Gale Breese, was an American novelist, short story writer, and playwright. She became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1921. The close r ...

* Veterans memorials ** Revolutionary War Veteran (Cooper Pixley and Alexander Porter) ** To Honor Pierre Pauquette ** To the Memory of Our Historic Dead *

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

Historic Markers ** Site of Fort Winnebago / Surrender of Red Bird ** Pierre Pauquette and East End of Wauona Trail **Landing Place of the Ferry built by Pierre Pauquette

Geography

Portage lies in the Wisconsin River valley. The city is surrounded by prairies and grasslands. Approximately three miles (5 km) west of the city are the Baraboo bluffs. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. The location of the town at the split of the Wisconsin and Fox river is what gives it the name "Portage", which means carrying a boat and its cargo between two navigable waters. In addition to the rivers, the city has access to Swan Lake and Silver Lake.

Cityscape

When Portage was first established, the streets were laid out on a traditional grid system. Today, the streets of the outlying city are contorted as a result of the many marshes and lowlands that run through much of Columbia County. The northern side of the city thus looks different from the central city, with the organized grid street system giving way to a more suburban streetscape with a lower housing density. The city has two commercial areas. One is the

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

historic district, which features several small boutique shops and restaurants; the other is the Northridge commercial area that features big box stores. In the summer of 2007, the Portage Canal was cleaned up and now features a

bike path A bike path or a cycle path is a bikeway separated from motorized traffic and dedicated to cycling or shared with pedestrians or other non-motorized users. In the US a bike path sometimes encompasses '' shared use paths'', "multi-use path", or ...

that runs alongside part of it. In the summer of 2008, the main downtown street was redone. Historical landmarks of the city include the Museum at the Portage, the Indian Agency house, and the Surgeons Quarters.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 10,324 people, 4,060 households, and 2,349 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 4,493 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.9% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 4.0% of the population. There were 4,060 households, of which 31% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.1% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.9. The median age in the city was 37.2 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.6% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 13.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.7% male and 46.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 9,728 people, 3,770 households, and 2,228 families living in the city. The

was 1,172.9 people per square mile (453.1/km²). There were 3,970 housing units at an average density of 478.7 per square mile (184.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.76%

European-American European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...

, 3.90%

, 0.51% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.85% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 3.39% of the population. There were 3,770 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,815, and the median income for a family was $44,804. Males had a median income of $33,158 versus $23,478 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $18,039. About 4.6% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Portage Community School District serves Portage. Portage High School was upgraded to a larger building in 1998, with the older high school building now housing the Wayne E. Bartels Middle School. Portage has two elementary schools: John Muir and Woodridge. Two rural elementary schools serve two of the towns in Columbia County: Lewiston and Fort Winnebago. There are also two private schools: St. John's Lutheran and St. Mary's Catholic Schools. Madison Area Technical College also has a campus located in Portage. The Portage scheme of support for children with special educational needs was developed in the city.

Infrastructure

Corrections

Wisconsin Department of Corrections operates the Columbia Correctional Institution.

Transportation

Three interstate highways,

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

, and

Interstate 39 Interstate 39 (I-39) is a north–south Interstate Highway in Illinois and Wisconsin that runs from an interchange at I-55 in Normal, Illinois, to State Trunk Highway 29 (WIS 29) approximately south of Wausau, Wisconsin. In to ...

, run past Portage, giving the city a 30-minute commute to Madison and 15-minute commute to Wisconsin Dells. The city also lies only a few hours from

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

. Portage station provides

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

service via the ''

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...

'' between Chicago and Seattle or Portland, and the '' Borealis'' between Chicago and St. Paul, for a total of two trains in either direction daily. Freight railroad service is provided by the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

which does business in the

American Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern c ...

as the

Soo Line Railroad The Soo Line Railroad is one of the primary United States railroad subsidiaries for the CPKC Railway , one of six U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Saul ...

. Portage is served by intercity bus from Milwaukee via Madison and to Wisconsin Rapids via Stevens Point, with a bus stopping in each direction daily at the Portage station. Portage Municipal Airport (C47) serves the city and surrounding communities.

Notable people

* Earl Abell, member of the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

* Alvin Alden, Wisconsin politician * Walt Ambrose, NFL player * Josiah D. Arnold, Wisconsin politician * Levi W. Barden, Wisconsin politician * Everett Bidwell, Wisconsin politician * Peter J. Boylan, U.S. Army general, President of

Georgia Military College Georgia Military College (GMC) is a Public college, public military junior college in Milledgeville, Georgia. It is divided into the junior college, a military junior college program, high school, middle school, and elementary school. It was ori ...

* Ben Brancel, Wisconsin politician * Samuel S. Brannan, Wisconsin politician and newspaper editor * Llywelyn Breese, Wisconsin politician, former Secretary of State * Guy W.S. Castle,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient * Maureen Clark, U.S. Olympian * William W. Corning, Wisconsin politician *

Jeffrey Dahmer Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (; May 21, 1960 – November 28, 1994), also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was an American serial killer and sex offender who killed and dismemberment, dismembered seventeen men and boys b ...

, imprisoned at Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage * Luther S. Dixon, Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court * Thomas E. Fairchild, Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals * Russel C. Falconer, Wisconsin politician *

, writer, first woman to win the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

for drama, 1921 * Charles Randall Gallett, Wisconsin politician * B. Frank Goodell, Wisconsin politician * Henry Gunderson,

lieutenant governor of Wisconsin The lieutenant governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Wisconsin, line of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, ...

Joshua James Guppey Joshua James Guppey (August 27, 1820December 8, 1893) was an American lawyer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War, and received an honorary Brevet (military), brevet to the rank of Briga ...

, Union Army general * Frank A. Haskell, Union Army

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, author of a noted account of the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

* Philip Hayes, U.S. Army general * Charles W. Henney, U.S. Representative * John Edward Kelley, U.S. Representative from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

* Herman Lange, Wisconsin politician * Margery Latimer, writer * James J. Lindsay, U.S. Army general * Wellington Porter McFail, aviator * Hugh McFarlane, Wisconsin politician *

John Muir John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the national park, National Parks", was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologi ...

, naturalist * William Owen, Wisconsin politician * Russell W. Peterson, former

governor of Delaware A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

* Russ Rebholz, head coach of the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

, member of the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

; head coach of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball team * Ferdinand Schulze, Wisconsin politician * Delphine Anderson Squires, suffragist and journalist * Mike Thompson, NFL player * Yellow Thunder, chief of the

Ho-Chunk The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hocąk, Hoocągra, or Winnebago are a Siouan languages, Siouan-speaking Native Americans in the United States, Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois ...

(or Winnebago) tribe * Andrew Jackson Turner, writer, newspaper editor, politician *

, historian,

winner * Samuel K. Vaughan, Union Army general * Joan Wade, Wisconsin politician * Jabez H. Wells, Wisconsin politician'Wisconsin Blue Book 1899,' Biographical Sketch of Jabez H. Wells, pg. 765

Images

File:Portage, Wisconsin.jpg, Looking south at DeWitt Street and MacFarlane Lane divide File:PortageWisconsinSignWIS33.jpg, West side city limit sign on Highway 33 File:PortageWisconsinWelcomeSignWIS33.jpg, Welcome sign File:Portage WI Post Office.jpg, Post office File:HenryMerrellHousePortageWisconsinWIS33.jpg, Henry Merrell House File:Portage Industrial Waterfront Historic District.jpg, Part of the Portage Industrial Waterfront Historic District File:PortageRetailHistoricDistrictCookBetweenWisconsinDeWittWIS33.jpg, Part of the Portage Retail Historic District File:Society Hill Historic District Portage WI.jpg, A house in the Society Hill Historic District File:Portage Water Tower Near Pauquette Park.jpg, Portage Water Tower Near Pauquette Park

References

External links

City of Portage

Portage Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Columbia County, Wisconsin Portages in the United States County seats in Wisconsin Populated places established in 1854 1854 establishments in Wisconsin