Portage

Portage (1,2 pôrˈtəj; 3 pôrˈtĭj) [key]. 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.