Indian Agency House
Society Hill
Church Hill District
Industrial Waterfront District
Museum at the Portage
Fort Winnebago Surgeon's Quarters
American Legion State Headquarters and Museum
Portage Center For The Arts
Portage Canal

Indian Agency House
The Historic Indian Agency House, built in 1832, is one of Wisconsin's earliest houses. It was constructed by the US Government as a residence for the Indian Agent to the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago). The Agency House is on its original site above the Portage Canal, located off Highway 33 east of Portage on Agency House Road. The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The Agency House is open for tours daily from May 15 to October 15, Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm; Sunday 11am-4pm. Call 608-742-6362.

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Society Hill
This residential district of 138 buildings was home to the city's early prominent citizens. Many of the buildings are made of yellow Portage brick and were constructed between 1870 and 1910. Society Hill contains the homes of two Pulitzer Prize winners; playwright Zona Gale and historian Jackson Turner. Society Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

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Church Hill District
Containing six early churches and many prestigious homes built between 1855 and 1930, it is only two blocks from the downtown area. The Church Hill District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

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Industrial Waterfront District
Including commercial buildings that were constructed around the Portage Canal as it ran through the center of the city, this district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The Feed Mill, constructed in 1861, is an outstanding landmark, and is located at 131 E. Mullet St.

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Museum at the Portage
The William L. and Zona Gale Breese home at 804 MacFarlane was donated to the city of Portage in 1946 to house the Portage Public Library. In 1994 the library moved to a new location and in 1996, the Museum at the Portage was established to showcase displays relevant to the history of the city. The Portage Historical Society works continually to honor the rich history of Portage, the third oldest settlement in Wisconsin. Within the Museum at the Portage, Zona Gale's study is preserved as it was when Zona lived in the house. Included in the permanent collection displayed at various times during the year are photographs and artifacts representing historical events in the city's history. The museum is open Saturday and Thursday--call for times. Special tours are available upon request. Call 608-742-6700 for more information or click here.

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Fort Winnebago Surgeon's Quarters
The Surgeon's Quarters is the only remaining building of the Historical Ft. Winnebago, used from 1828 to 1845. The Surgeon's Quarters overlooks the site where Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette left the Fox River at the east end of Wauona Trail in 1673. In 1828, soldiers came to erect the fort, the middle link in a chain of three forts along the Fox-Wisconsin waterway. The Surgeon's Quarters was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and is open from May 15 to October 15, Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm; Sunday 11am-4pm. The site is operated by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Call 608-742-2949 for more information or visit www.wsdar.com.

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American Legion State Headquarters and Museum
In 2001, the American Legion built a new state headquarters in Portage. The headquarters building employs seven full-time people and includes a museum which houses such historical relics as statues, uniforms, medals, photos, and documents from the history of Wisconsin's American Legion as well as war memorabilia. The museum is open Monday through Friday,8am-4:30pm and is located on American Legion Drive on the north side of Portage. Call 608-745-1090 or visit www.wilegion.org for more information.

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Portage Center For The Arts
The Portage Center for the Arts, located on the east edge of the downtown district, hosts many cultural events during the year. The former church building has been converted to a 270-seat theater and gallery. There is a Performing Arts Series in the fall and winter months featuring a wide range of musical performances. The Charles & Eleanor Drury Gallery at the Portage Center for the Arts features art exhibits that change monthly from September through May showcasing local and national recognized artists. During the summer months the center becomes very active with the Zona Gale Young People’s Theatre, featuring a Children’s Theatre Production the first weekend in July and a professional quality youth theatre production in September. The Gale Singers, our local community choir, gives performances at Christmas and in the spring. The Portage Area Community Theatre also performs two shows annually at the Center. The Portage Center for the Arts is open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 1pm-6pm and Saturday from 10am-3pm. For information call 608-742-5655 or visit http://www.portagecenterforthearts.com

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Portage Canal
The "portage" between the Wisconsin and the Fox Rivers was used by Indians, early and unknown French explorers and fur trappers. Possibly, the first reference to this area was made by Nicolet, who might have visited this area in 1640. The first description of the "portage" came from the journals of Marquette and Joliet, who arrived at the "portage" June 14, 1673.

The land lying between the Fox River and the Wisconsin River was known as in the early days as a "portage." A portage is the act of transporting boats and supplies from one waterway to another. It is unique as it is part of a natural water-shed or is called a "continental divide." The Fox River flows from South to North emptying into Lake Michigan - St. Lawrence - Atlantic and the Wisconsin River flows from North to South emptying into the Mississippi - Gulf of Mexico.

The Indians called the "portage" Wau-wau-o-nah, now more commonly known as "Wauona" which means "the place where one takes up his canoe and carries it on his back." The one and four-tenths mile trail through this marshy area was very difficult. Sometimes during high water boats could paddle from one river to the other. In 1828, the U.S. Department of Army sent soldiers to erect a fort at the Portage, to protect the white settlers and to keep the Indians in order. The Indians were charging tolls to "portage" across their land and the white settlers did not want to pay. There was a need for a better means of transportation.
www.portagecanalsociety.com

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