Portage Canal
Encyclopedia
The Portage Canal was built to connect the Fox River
and Wisconsin River
at Portage, Wisconsin
along the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway
.
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, Illinois was awarded the bid, August 1926. The firm completed the repairs of lock and replace of the 1876 wooden gate under the supervision of the U. S Army Corps of Engineers, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 in order for the locks completion. The canal lock and new gate were completed in the May of 1928.
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.
Currently, water pumps provide the only substantial flow and aeration
. Continued attempts have been made to restore the remainder of the canal to its original condition and the Portage Canal Society continues to try to raise funds and make improvements. In the summer of 2006, US Representative Tammy Baldwin
of Wisconsin, helped to break ground on the current renewal attempts.
Fox River (Wisconsin)
The Fox River is a river in eastern and central Wisconsin in the United States. Along the banks is a chain of cities, including Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, Appleton, Little Chute, Kimberly, Combined Locks, and Kaukauna. Except for Oshkosh, these cities refer to themselves as the Fox Cities...
and Wisconsin River
Wisconsin River
-External links:* * * , Wisconsin Historical Society* * * *...
at Portage, Wisconsin
Portage, Wisconsin
Portage is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,662 at the 2010 census making it the largest city in Columbia County...
along the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway
Fox-Wisconsin Waterway
The Fox–Wisconsin Waterway is a waterway formed by the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. First used by European settlers in 1673 during the expedition of Marquette & Joliet, it was one of the principal routes used by travelers between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River until the completion of the...
.
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, Illinois was awarded the bid, August 1926. The firm completed the repairs of lock and replace of the 1876 wooden gate under the supervision of the U. S Army Corps of Engineers, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 in order for the locks completion. The canal lock and new gate were completed in the May of 1928.
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.
Currently, water pumps provide the only substantial flow and aeration
Aeration
Aeration is the process by which air is circulated through, mixed with or dissolved in a liquid or substance.-Aeration of liquids:-Methods:Aeration of liquids is achieved by:...
. Continued attempts have been made to restore the remainder of the canal to its original condition and the Portage Canal Society continues to try to raise funds and make improvements. In the summer of 2006, US Representative Tammy Baldwin
Tammy Baldwin
Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin is the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district, serving since 1999. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In September 2011, Baldwin announced she would be a candidate in the 2012 U.S...
of Wisconsin, helped to break ground on the current renewal attempts.