- Portage River (St. Joseph County)
Portage River (St. Joseph County) is a river that flows southward through the adjacent counties of
Kalamazoo County, Michigan andSt. Joseph County, Michigan . Its headwaters are 8 miles (13 km) east ofKalamazoo, Michigan at Portage Lake, and the river flows south to its mouth within the city limits ofThree Rivers, Michigan , where it drains into the St. Joseph River.Origin of name
Portage, the French word for "carry", refers to transporting a canoe overland, either between waterways or around an obstacle. The French word is used, although the river was used by the Potawattomi and other Native Americans for trade and transportation before the French arrived. The Portage River and a major tributary, "Portage Creek", form a key water link between the drainage basins of the
Kalamazoo River and theSt. Joseph River (Lake Michigan) . Tributaries of the two rivers run within 1.25 miles (2 km) of each other within what is now the large Kalamazoo suburb ofPortage, Michigan . From the high ground of this suburb, two creeks, both named "Portage Creek", run north and south toward their respective drainage basins. The suburban city, creeks, and river are all named after thisportage or carrying-place forbirch bark and dugoutcanoes , a key link in the Native American infrastructure of what was to become the state ofMichigan .Impact of glaciation
The
Wisconsin glaciation period left behind a large number of kettles, ponds, and bogs. The headwaters and upper reaches of the Portage River once contained countless examples of post-glacial wetlands. Farmers builtdrainage ditches to dry out many of the wetter flatlands for arable cropland, and significant population growth south of Kalamazoo has led to further alterations in the landscape. Many of the larger glacial lakes remain:* Austin Lake, in Portage, is the largest lake in the Portage River drainage.
* Gourdneck Lake, near Portage, is so called because its unusual shape is said to resemble a maturegourd .
* Indian Lake is the site of a longtime campsite of thePotawatomi tribe of Native Americans.
* Portage Lake in St. Joseph County (not the source lake in Kalamazoo County with the same name) covers 510 acres.History of river
The Portage River was an early trade route for the Pottawatomi, Ojibwa, Ottawa, and French traders. A
pow-wow is held annually in Three Rivers to celebrate this history, along with areenactor camp of French traders. A famous battle between the Pottawatomi and the Shawnee under Chief Elkhart took place on the banks of the Portage River in 1802, and is commemorated by a plaque in Three Rivers.Portage Creek (the south-flowing Portage Creek, part of the Portage River drainage) drops eight feet (2.5m) at what is now the town of
Vicksburg, Michigan . In 1831 John Vickers spied this power source and built agristmill on the creek, thereby flooding Sunset Lake and founding the town that would be named after him.Dutch and
Low German farmers with experience in wetlands horticulture took charge of the river region's wetlands during the decades after theAmerican Civil War . The southern Kalamazoo region was one of the first locations in the United States wherecelery for salads was grown. (Traditional English and American popular cooking traditions of that time demanded that all vegetables be boiled or otherwise cooked before being served.) For several generations the Portage River area led the nation in celery production. Other specialty crops grown on Portage River "muckland" includedpeppermint andspearmint . On the Portage River's high sandy banks further south, strawberries were cultivated. The best known strawberry farm was R. M. Kellogg's in Three Rivers, founded in 1896. The R. M. Kellogg farms also maintained a popular tourist attraction, the Kellogg Gardens, elaborate gardens with many unusual structures, next to the Portage River in the city of Three Rivers.Although the river today is silted up and only used by canoes and kayacks, up until the early 1900s it was a navigable river. Frank Dentler of Parkville operated a paddle wheel steamboat for the transportation of goods to the railroad lines, down river to Three Rivers and up river to the Portage Station near Portage Lake (St. Joseph County.)
The river today
Much of the Portage River remains wet and wooded today. Trees have been allowed to re-grow along the river's banks, which are unsuited for agriculture. The river is enjoyed by canoeists and
kayak ers. Fishing is excellent and includeslargemouth bass ,smallmouth bass , andwalleye , but check the State of Michigan Department of Health's fish advisory [http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/1,1607,7-132-2944_5327-13110--,00.html] before eating any river or lake fish.The Portage River's banks form a riparian wetland ecosystem, rich in characteristic species such as
painted turtle s,wood duck s, andbullfrog s, as well as many rare and unusual native plants and plant communities. TheSouthwest Michigan Land Conservancy maintains the Hidden Marsh Sanctuary, a wilderness preserve and walking trail along the Portage River just north of the city of Three Rivers, Michigan.Dams
, and the Boy's Dam and Hoffman Pond in Three Rivers, Michigan.
External links
Hidden Marsh Sanctuary [http://www.swmlc.org/hidden_marsh_sanctuary.htm]
Portage River Canoe Trail Maps [http://www.wmich.edu/glcms/watertrails/rivercountrypr.html]
Cold Brook Park at the Portage River headwaters [http://www.kalcounty.com/parks/coldbrook/index.html]
Portage River Watershed Management Plan, 2005 (a PDF) [http://www.kalamazoo-county-roads.com/pdfs/304.pdf]
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