Portage is known as one of the younger towns in the Region, but its history goes back a long way to the early days of settlement, further still to Native American builders, and back to a bygone geological age that has left its mark on the area. Learn a little more with five fun facts you may not have known about Portage!
Portage used to have Native American earthen mounds from the cultures collectively known as “The Mound Builders,” who were responsible for the UNESCO heritage site known as Cahokia in Collinsville, Illinois. Unfortunately, the reportedly six feet high, 30 feet wide mound was flattened by the land’s owner, Joseph Robbins back in the 1930s. Why, Robbins? Why?
Portage lies on the border of the Valparaiso Moraine, which was formed by sediment left behind by the glacier that covered the area as it receded. South of the Moraine, water flows to the Mississippi and out to the Gulf of Mexico, North of it, where Portage lies, water flows to the Saint Lawrence and out to the Atlantic.
Portage’s original incorporation in 1959 was fueled by a fear that Valparaiso or Gary might annex them as part of their own. Thus, Portage stayed Portage and did not become New Valpo.
Portage’s first major thoroughfare was a stagecoach trail which linked Detroit to Fort Dearborn. The first business along that trail was a less than reputable halfway house known as Carley’s Tavern along what is now Clem Road by Willow Creek in 1837. The second business was also a (you guessed it) tavern opened by two women.
Portage was a battleground worth fighting for. Plentiful in furs, fertile soil, waterways, and food, the area was once a battleground for the Potawatomi and Illini tribes which clashed over the hunting ground of the region.