Portage River (Ohio) facts for kids
The Portage River is a river in Ohio that flows into Lake Erie. It starts with branches in Wood County and Hancock County. These branches join together near Pemberville. From there, the river flows through Sandusky County and Ottawa County. It passes through towns like Elmore and Oak Harbor. Finally, it reaches Lake Erie at Port Clinton. The river is about 41.5 miles (66.8 km) (66.8 km) long.
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What's in a Name?
The river's name, Portage, comes from early explorers. They had to portage their canoes and boats. This means they had to carry them around parts of the river. These parts were too shallow or had too many rapids to paddle through.
A River Through History
Early Uses of the River
Native Americans were the first people to use the Portage River. They used it for fishing and for traveling by canoe. In 1782, a trader wrote about French traders near the river. This shows how important the river was for trade and travel long ago.
Draining the Great Black Swamp
In the 1850s, the Ohio government passed laws to drain the Great Black Swamp. This large, wet area was drained into rivers like the Portage River. This led to many new streams and ditches being built. These new waterways now feed into the Portage River.
How the River Has Changed
The Portage River's path has changed over hundreds of years. Its mouth, where it flows into Lake Erie, has moved at least twice. Maps from 1754 show the mouth near the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Before that, the river emptied into Lake Erie near West Harbor. These changes happened because of how the river's drainage system was changed over time.
The Health of the River
Even though the Portage River is not very deep, it is quite clean. It meets about 76 percent of the standards set by the Ohio EPA. However, there are still some environmental concerns. These include pollution from many different sources, like runoff from farms and towns. There are also concerns about how land is used near the river.
Because of some PCB contamination, the Ohio EPA has a special recommendation. They suggest that people eat no more than one meal per month of channel catfish and common carp caught in the Portage River. This helps keep people safe from the chemicals.
Gallery
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Portage River bridge at Elmore
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Portage middle branch sources
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East branch sources
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Northern branch of the Portage River, at the nature trail at the Wood County Museum.
