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Portage[1, 2 pOr´tuj; 3 pOr´tij] Pronunciation Key. 1 Town (1990 pop. 29,060), Porter co., NW Ind., a suburb of Gary, on Lake Michigan; inc. 1959. A new port, accommodating ocean vessels, began operating there in the early 1970s. Portage, which was once surrounded by great industries, manufactures steel and a number of other goods. 2 City (1990 pop. 46,042), Kalamazoo co., SW Mich.; inc. 1963. Among the various manufactures of this growing city are pharmaceuticals, machinery, and paper and plastic products. 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.
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