The Portage River branches run northeast from Wood County & north from Hancock County to Pemberville in eastern Wood County, where it becomes one river, then into Sandusky County, and meanders across Ottawa County through Elmore & Oak Harbor before it empties into

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

at what is now Port Clinton. It most likely derives its name from early explorers who were forced to

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 '' ...

or carry their canoes and boats around the river's intermittent shallows and rapids. It is approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed May 19, 2011 Native Americans were the first to use the river as a food source and for transportation. In 1782, a trader wrote to a merchant in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, "it is expected there will be two French traders at or near Little Island or the Portash icRiver." In 1850 the Ohio legislature passed the first of several laws mandating the draining of the

Great Black Swamp The Great Black Swamp (also known simply as the Black Swamp) was a glacier, glacially fed wetland in northwest Ohio and Northern Indiana, northeast Indiana, United States, that existed from the end of the Wisconsin glaciation until the late 19 ...

into the Portage and

Maumee Maumee may refer to: Places: * Maumee Township, Allen County, Indiana * Maumee, Ohio, a city in Lucas County * Maumee River, a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana, United States * Maumee Bay, Ohio, on Lake Erie * Maumee State Fores ...

rivers. This led to the creation of many of the tributaries, streams, and ditches feeding the Portage River. Drainage system changes have caused the Portage River to shift the location of its mouth at least twice in the past three hundred years. Maps recorded in 1754 show the mouth near the present location of

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States, which is located in the state of Ohio. This refuge was established in 1961, under the Migratory Bird Conservation Act, the purpose of the refuge being created wa ...

. Prior to that, the river emptied into Lake Erie near West Harbor. Despite its shallow depth, the river is relatively clean, reaching 76 percent of Ohio EPA standards. Environmental concerns include nonpoint pollution sources, inappropriate land use, and sewage discharge. Due to PCB contamination, the Ohio EPA recommends no more than one meal per month of

channel catfish The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus''), known informally as the "channel cat", is a species of catfish native to North America. They are North America's most abundant catfish species, and the official state fish of Kansas, Missouri, Nebra ...

and

common carp The common carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), also known as European carp, Eurasian carp, or simply carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Ark ...

caught in the Portage River.

Gallery

File:Portage River bridge at Elmore.jpg, Portage River bridge at Elmore File:PR Middle pic.jpg, Portage middle branch sources File:Portage River East source.jpg, East branch sources File:Portage River Northern Branch.jpg, Northern branch of the Portage River, at the nature trail at the Wood County Museum.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Ohio Tributaries of Lake Erie Rivers of Ottawa County, Ohio Rivers of Sandusky County, Ohio Rivers of Wood County, Ohio French-American culture in Ohio

Gallery

See also

References