Portage Canal: Difference between revisions
refine category structures |
Creuzbourg (talk | contribs) changin '1835' to '1876' in the infobox; as per the text |
||
(27 intermediate revisions by 18 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Other uses|Portage Canal (disambiguation)}} |
|||
:''For the Portage Canal located in the Keweenaw Peninsula, see [[Keweenaw Waterway]]''. |
|||
{{Infobox NRHP |
{{Infobox NRHP |
||
| name = Portage Canal |
|||
| nrhp_type |
| nrhp_type = |
||
| image = Portage Canal in downtown Portage WI looking west.jpg |
|||
| image = PortageCanal01.jpg |
|||
| caption |
| caption = Portage Canal in downtown [[Portage, Wisconsin|Portage]] |
||
| coordinates = {{coord|43|32|49|N|89|26|50|W|display=inline,title}} |
|||
| lat_degrees = 43 |
|||
⚫ | |||
| lat_minutes = 32 |
|||
⚫ | |||
| lat_seconds = 49 |
|||
⚫ | |||
| lat_direction = N |
|||
⚫ | |||
| long_degrees = 89 |
|||
⚫ | |||
| long_minutes = 26 |
|||
⚫ | |||
| long_seconds = 50 |
|||
⚫ | |||
| long_direction = W |
|||
⚫ | |||
| coord_display = inline,title |
|||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
| governing_body = State |
|||
⚫ | |||
}} |
}} |
||
The '''Portage Canal''' was built to connect the [[Fox River (Wisconsin)|Fox River]] and [[Wisconsin River]] at [[Portage, Wisconsin]] along the [[Fox-Wisconsin Waterway]].<ref>{{cite gnis|1843002|Portage Canal}}</ref> For a time, it completed a route from the north Atlantic Ocean, through the [[St. Lawrence Seaway]] and down the [[Mississippi River]] to the [[Gulf of Mexico]], and back to the Atlantic. |
The '''Portage Canal''' was built to connect the [[Fox River (Wisconsin)|Fox River]] and [[Wisconsin River]] at [[Portage, Wisconsin]] along the [[Fox-Wisconsin Waterway]].<ref>{{cite gnis|1843002|Portage Canal}}</ref> For a time, it completed a route from the north Atlantic Ocean, through the [[St. Lawrence Seaway]] and down the [[Mississippi River]] to the [[Gulf of Mexico]], and back to the Atlantic. |
||
==History== |
|||
Numerous attempts were made to build the thin Wisconsin-Fox connection through the marshy land, beginning in 1837 with the formation of the Portage Canal Company. Digging and hauling by hand through two and a half miles of muddy terrain, the project was quickly abandoned. A second project, started in 1849, managed to cut a path usable by canoe, but not viable for commerce. The final project, complete with locks to raise the water level of the Fox to that of the Wisconsin's, was not completed until 1876 by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]]. Unfortunately, by then, the railroads were quick on their way, followed soon thereafter by the automobile. |
Numerous attempts were made to build the thin Wisconsin-Fox connection through the marshy land, beginning in 1837 with the formation of the Portage Canal Company. Digging and hauling by hand through two and a half miles of muddy terrain, the project was quickly abandoned. A second project, started in 1849, managed to cut a path usable by canoe, but not viable for commerce. The final project, complete with locks to raise the water level of the Fox to that of the Wisconsin's, was not completed until 1876 by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]]. Unfortunately, by then, the railroads were quick on their way, followed soon thereafter by the automobile. |
||
The Portage Canal acquired a new steel gate and concrete lock in 1926 due to a rupture of the 1876 wooden gate and the quoin post of the west gate of the lock in April 1926. A local contractor, M.E. White Company of Chicago, |
The Portage Canal acquired a new steel gate and concrete lock in 1926 due to a rupture of the 1876 wooden gate and the quoin post of the west gate of the lock in April 1926. A local contractor, M.E. White Company of Chicago, was awarded the bid in August 1926. The firm completed the repairs of the lock and replaced the 1876 wooden gate under the supervision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Milwaukee. The 1926 Portage Canal Lock was the first steel and concrete lock on the Fox River. The subcontractor for the steel gate was the Lakeside Bridge and Steel Company of Wisconsin. During the re-construction process, the Engineers were faced with containing underground springs beneath the lock, which caused considerable delays. The White Construction Co. repaired the fallen wall and dismantled the remaining wall of the lock, which were re-laid and constructed according to the original configurations of the 1876 construction. The White Construction Company used 9,000 barrels of Portland cement to build the locks. The canal lock and new gate were completed in May 1928.<ref>Dutch, Steven. [http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/GeologyWisconsin/geostops/PortageCanal.HTM "Portage Canal"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720105859/http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/GeologyWisconsin/geostops/PortageCanal.HTM |date=2011-07-20 }}, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay, retrieved February 22, 2011.</ref> |
||
[[File:Portage Canal emptying into Fox River.jpg|thumb|left|Canal emptying into the Fox River]] |
|||
[[File:Ice Age Trail at Portage Canal.jpg|thumb|crossing of the [[Ice Age Trail]]|left]] |
|||
⚫ | The use of the canal as a major means of commerce lasted only a few decades, though pleasure craft, including steamboats, continued to ply the narrow waterway. In following years, the canal began to degrade through lack of upkeep. The canal was used until 1951 when the Fort Winnebago Lock was bulldozed in, and the Wisconsin River Locks were welded shut.<ref>[http://www.heritageparkway.org/sites-directory/portage-canal/ "Portage Canal"], Fox Wisconsin Heritage Parkway, retrieved March 2016.</ref> |
||
The canal has undergone a significant restoration project to clean up and restore the canal, revitalizing it as a community asset. Beginning in 2020 and continuing into 2021, the DNR, in collaboration with the City of Portage, removed 30,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from the canal, addressing the legacy contamination from years of heavy industrial use, primarily heavy metals. Additionally, 1.3 million gallons of contaminated water were treated, seven storm sewers were extended to maintain stormwater management, and 40,000 tons of material were placed to construct the base for the foundation of an Ice Age Trail addition.<ref>[https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/newsroom/release/63736 "Portage Canal Restoration, Revitalization Nears Completion"] Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, October 18, 2022</ref> |
|||
⚫ | The use of the canal as a major means of commerce lasted only a few decades, though pleasure craft, including steamboats, continued to ply the narrow waterway. In following years, the canal began to degrade through lack of upkeep. The canal was used until 1951 |
||
Continued efforts are being made to restore the remainder of the canal to its original condition, and the Portage Canal Society is actively working to raise funds and make further improvements to the canal.<ref>Lodi Enterprise. [http://www.hngnews.com/lodi_enterprise/news/local/article_121967e2-1a8e-11e5-bde9-670e05149d48.html "Eminent domain options explored"], Lodi Enterprise retrieved March 16, 2016.</ref> |
|||
== |
==References== |
||
{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
{{Commons category|Portage Canal}} |
|||
*[http://portagecanal.org/ Portage Canal Society] |
*[http://portagecanal.org/ Portage Canal Society] |
||
{{Registered Historic Places}} |
{{Registered Historic Places}} |
||
[[Category:Canals in Wisconsin]] |
[[Category:Canals in Wisconsin]] |
||
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Columbia County, Wisconsin]] |
|||
[[Category:Portages in the United States]] |
|||
[[Category:Wisconsin waterways]] |
|||
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin]] |
|||
[[Category:Canals on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois]] |
|||
[[Category:Portage, Wisconsin]] |
[[Category:Portage, Wisconsin]] |
||
[[Category:Canals opened in 1876]] |
[[Category:Canals opened in 1876]] |
||
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Columbia County, Wisconsin]] |
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Columbia County, Wisconsin]] |
||
[[Category:Canals on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin]] |
[[Category:Canals on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Portages on the National Register of Historic Places]] |
||
[[Category:Fox–Wisconsin Waterway]] |
Latest revision as of 06:46, 22 April 2024
Portage Canal | |
![]() Portage Canal in downtown Portage | |
Standort | Between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, Portage, WI |
---|---|
Coordinates | 43°32′49″N 89°26′50″W / 43.54694°N 89.44722°W |
Built | 1876 |
Architect | Conro, Starke & Co.; U.S.Army Corps of Engineers |
NRHP reference No. | 77000030 [1] |
Added to NRHP | August 26, 1977 |
The Portage Canal was built to connect the Fox River and Wisconsin River at Portage, Wisconsin along the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway.[2] For a time, it completed a route from the north Atlantic Ocean, through the St. Lawrence Seaway and down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, and back to the Atlantic.
History
[edit]Numerous attempts were made to build the thin Wisconsin-Fox connection through the marshy land, beginning in 1837 with the formation of the Portage Canal Company. Digging and hauling by hand through two and a half miles of muddy terrain, the project was quickly abandoned. A second project, started in 1849, managed to cut a path usable by canoe, but not viable for commerce. The final project, complete with locks to raise the water level of the Fox to that of the Wisconsin's, was not completed until 1876 by the Army Corps of Engineers. Unfortunately, by then, the railroads were quick on their way, followed soon thereafter by the automobile. The Portage Canal acquired a new steel gate and concrete lock in 1926 due to a rupture of the 1876 wooden gate and the quoin post of the west gate of the lock in April 1926. A local contractor, M.E. White Company of Chicago, was awarded the bid in August 1926. The firm completed the repairs of the lock and replaced the 1876 wooden gate under the supervision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Milwaukee. The 1926 Portage Canal Lock was the first steel and concrete lock on the Fox River. The subcontractor for the steel gate was the Lakeside Bridge and Steel Company of Wisconsin. During the re-construction process, the Engineers were faced with containing underground springs beneath the lock, which caused considerable delays. The White Construction Co. repaired the fallen wall and dismantled the remaining wall of the lock, which were re-laid and constructed according to the original configurations of the 1876 construction. The White Construction Company used 9,000 barrels of Portland cement to build the locks. The canal lock and new gate were completed in May 1928.[3]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Portage_Canal_emptying_into_Fox_River.jpg/220px-Portage_Canal_emptying_into_Fox_River.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Ice_Age_Trail_at_Portage_Canal.jpg/220px-Ice_Age_Trail_at_Portage_Canal.jpg)
The use of the canal as a major means of commerce lasted only a few decades, though pleasure craft, including steamboats, continued to ply the narrow waterway. In following years, the canal began to degrade through lack of upkeep. The canal was used until 1951 when the Fort Winnebago Lock was bulldozed in, and the Wisconsin River Locks were welded shut.[4]
The canal has undergone a significant restoration project to clean up and restore the canal, revitalizing it as a community asset. Beginning in 2020 and continuing into 2021, the DNR, in collaboration with the City of Portage, removed 30,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from the canal, addressing the legacy contamination from years of heavy industrial use, primarily heavy metals. Additionally, 1.3 million gallons of contaminated water were treated, seven storm sewers were extended to maintain stormwater management, and 40,000 tons of material were placed to construct the base for the foundation of an Ice Age Trail addition.[5]
Continued efforts are being made to restore the remainder of the canal to its original condition, and the Portage Canal Society is actively working to raise funds and make further improvements to the canal.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ "Portage Canal". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ Dutch, Steven. "Portage Canal" Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay, retrieved February 22, 2011.
- ^ "Portage Canal", Fox Wisconsin Heritage Parkway, retrieved March 2016.
- ^ "Portage Canal Restoration, Revitalization Nears Completion" Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, October 18, 2022
- ^ Lodi Enterprise. "Eminent domain options explored", Lodi Enterprise retrieved March 16, 2016.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)