View source for Portage, Wisconsin

{{About|the city|the county|Portage County, Wisconsin}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Portage, Wisconsin
| settlement_type          = [[City]]
| motto                    = "Where the North Begins"

<!-- Images -->| image_skyline            = PortageRetailHistoricDistrictCookBetweenWisconsinDeWittWIS33.jpg
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = Downtown Portage
| image_flag               = 
| image_seal               = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map                = File:Columbia County Wisconsin Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Portage Highlighted.svg
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location of Portage in Columbia County, Wisconsin
| pushpin_map              = Wisconsin#USA
| pushpin_label            = Portage
| pushpin_relief           = yes <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Wisconsin}}
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Wisconsin|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Columbia County, Wisconsin|Columbia]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = 
| leader_name              = 
| leader_title1            = 
| leader_name1             = 
| established_title        = Settled
| established_date         = 1851

<!-- Area -->| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_55.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
| area_magnitude           = 
| area_total_km2           = 25.14
| area_land_km2            = 23.07
| area_water_km2           = 2.07
| area_total_sq_mi         = 9.71
| area_land_sq_mi          = 8.91
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.8

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est           = 10399
| pop_est_as_of            = 2019
| population_footnotes     = <ref name="wwwcensusgov"/>
| population_total         = 10581
| population_density_km2   = 450.8
| population_density_sq_mi = 1167.51

<!-- General information -->| timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset               = -6
| timezone_DST             = CDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -5
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
| elevation_m              = 242
| elevation_ft             = 794
| coordinates              = {{coord|43|33|N|89|28|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code              = 53901
| area_code                = [[Area code 608|608]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 55-64100<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 1571799<ref name="GR3" />
| website                  = [https://www.portagewi.gov/ www.portagewi.gov]
| footnotes                = 
| pop_est_footnotes        = <ref name="USCensusEst2019CenPopScriptOnlyDirtyFixDoNotUse">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2019.html|date=May 24, 2020|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref>
}}

'''Portage''' is a city in [[Columbia County, Wisconsin]], United States, and its [[county seat]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=2011-06-07|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census,<ref name="GR2" /> making it the largest city in Columbia County. It is part of the [[Madison metropolitan area]].

Portage was named for the [[Fox–Wisconsin Waterway]], a [[portage]] between the [[Fox River (Green Bay tributary)|Fox River]] and the [[Wisconsin River]], which was recognized by [[Jacques Marquette]] and [[Louis Joliet]] during their discovery of a route to the [[Mississippi River]] in 1673. The city's slogan is "Where the North Begins."

== History ==
[[Image:Wisconsin in 1718.jpg|thumb|right|Wisconsin in 1718, [[Guillaume de L'Isle]] map, showing the historic portage]]
[[File:Portage WIS.png|thumb|right|Portage station, {{circa|1900}}]]

The [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes that once lived here, and later the [[Europe]]an traders and settlers, took advantage of the lowlands between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers as a natural "[[portage]]". This is reflected in indigenous names for the town, such as the [[Menominee]] name ''Kahkāmohnakaneh'', which means "at the short cut".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www4.uwsp.edu/museum/menomineeClans/places/chart.aspx|title=Menominee Place Names in Wisconsin|last=Hoffman|first=Mike|website=The Menominee Clans Story|access-date=2018-10-05}}</ref> In May 1673, [[Jacques Marquette]] joined the expedition of [[Louis Jolliet]], a French-Canadian explorer, to find the [[Mississippi River]]. They departed from St. Ignace on May 17, with two canoes and five voyageurs of French-Indian ancestry ([[Métis]]). They followed Lake Michigan to Green Bay and up the Fox River, nearly to its headwaters. From there, they were told to portage their canoes a distance of slightly less than two miles through marsh and oak plains to the Wisconsin River. Later, [[France|French]] fur traders described the place as "le portage", which eventually lent itself to the name of the community. As a portage, this community developed as a center of commerce and trade; later, a [[canal]] was constructed to facilitate this trade. When the railroads came through, the community continued in this role.

Portage emerged at this place because of its unique position along the one and a half mile strip of marshy floodplain between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. By the end of the 17th century, the Fox-Wisconsin waterway, linked at the Portage, served as the major fur trade thoroughfare between [[Green Bay, Wisconsin|Green Bay]] and [[Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin|Prairie du Chien]]. It was not until the 1780s and 1790s that traders built their posts and warehouses at each end of the Portage.  In the early 19th century Portage was primarily populated by [[Métis people (United States)|Métis]].<ref>Jaqueline Peterson and Jennifer S. H. Brown, ''The New Peoples: Being and Becoming Métis in North America''. St. Paul, Minn.: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2001, p. 44.</ref> In 1828, the federal government recognized the strategic economic importance of The Portage and built [[Fort Winnebago]] at the Fox River end. After 15 years of controversy, Winnebago settlement (now Portage) won the [[county seat]] in 1851.  The community incorporated as Portage City in 1854.

The Portage business district lies along a hill that overlooks the [[Portage Canal]]. The buildings now in the city's downtown were once part of a bustling, urban commercial center serving a large region across north central Wisconsin. The building of the city paralleled its commercial prominence between the end of the [[American Civil War]] and the second decade of the 20th century.

===Historic sites===

* [[Fort Winnebago Surgeon's Quarters]] Historic Site
* [[Fox-Wisconsin Portage Site]]
* [[Henry Merrell House]]
* [[Old Indian Agency House]]
* [[Portage Industrial Waterfront Historic District]]
* [[Portage Retail Historic District]]
* [[Zona Gale House]]
* Museum at the Portage<ref>{{cite web |url=http://portagemuseum.org/ |title=Museum at the Portage |access-date=March 28, 2018}}</ref>
* Wisconsin American Legion Museum and Learning Center<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wilegion.org/page/content/about/wisconsin-american-legion-museum-and-learning-center |title=The American Legion Department of Wisconsin: Wisconsin American Legion Museum and Learning Center |website=www.wilegion.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413064441/http://wilegion.org/page/content/about/wisconsin-american-legion-museum-and-learning-center |archive-date=2013-04-13}}</ref>
* Portage Canal Society<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.portagecanal.org/ |title=Portage Canal |publisher=Portage Canal |date= |accessdate=2022-10-01}}</ref>
* Historic [[Portage Canal]]
* World War II History Museum
* Wisconsin State Historical Markers in Portage<ref>Wisconsin Historical Society. [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/pdfs/hp/HPR-Marker-List.pdf Official List of Wisconsin's State Historic Markers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225125837/http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/pdfs/hp/HPR-Marker-List.pdf |date=2017-02-25 }}</ref>
** [[Fort Winnebago Surgeon's Quarters]] Historic Site
** [[Frederick Jackson Turner]]
** [[Jacques Marquette]] 
** [[Jacques Marquette]] and [[Louis Jolliet]]
** Ketchum's Point
** Potter's Emigration Society
** [[Society Hill Historic District (Portage, Wisconsin)|Society Hill Historic District]]
** [[Zona Gale]]
* Veterans memorials
** Revolutionary War Veteran (Cooper Pixley and Alexander Porter)
** To Honor Pierre Pauquette
** To the Memory of Our Historic Dead
* [[Daughters of the American Revolution]] Historic Markers<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dar.org/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties |title=Historic Sites and Properties &#124; Daughters of the American Revolution |publisher=Dar.org |date= |accessdate=2022-10-01}}</ref>
** Site of Fort Winnebago / Surrender of [[Red Bird]]
** Pierre Pauquette and East End of Wauona Trail
**Landing Place of the Ferry built by Pierre Pauquette

== Geography ==
{{wide image|Portage, Wisconsin aerial photograph.jpg|200px|[[Wisconsin Highway 33|Wis-33]] entering Portage over the [[Wisconsin River]]|100%|right|alt=Portage, Wisconsin aerial photograph}}
Portage lies in the Wisconsin River valley. The city is surrounded by prairies and grasslands. Approximately three miles (5&nbsp;km) west of the city are the Baraboo bluffs. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|9.62|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which, {{convert|8.82|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.8|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-11-18|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archive-date=2012-07-02}}</ref> The location of the town at the split of the Wisconsin and Fox river is what gives it the name "Portage", which means carrying a boat and its cargo between two navigable waters. In addition to the rivers, the city has access to Swan Lake and Silver Lake.

=== Cityscape ===
When Portage was first established, the streets were laid out on a traditional grid system. Today, the streets of the outlying city are contorted as a result of the many marshes and lowlands that run through much of Columbia County. The northern side of the city thus looks different from the central city, with the organized grid street system giving way to a more suburban streetscape with a lower housing density.

The city has two commercial areas. One is the [[downtown]] historic district, which features several small boutique shops and restaurants; the other is the Northridge commercial area that features [[Big-box store|big box]] stores. In the summer of 2007, the [[Portage Canal]] was cleaned up and now features a [[bike path]] that runs alongside part of it. In the summer of 2008, the main downtown street was redone. Historical landmarks of the city include the Museum at the Portage, the [[Indian Agency house]], and the [[Surgeons Quarters]].

==Climate==
{{Weather box
| width       = auto
| collapsed   = yes
| single line = yes
| location    = Portage Wastewater Treatment Plant, Wisconsin (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present)
| Jan record high F = 57
| Feb record high F = 72
| Mar record high F = 83
| Apr record high F = 99
| May record high F = 102
| Jun record high F = 104
| Jul record high F = 111
| Aug record high F = 103
| Sep record high F = 103
| Oct record high F = 93
| Nov record high F = 76
| Dec record high F = 67
| year record high F = 111
| Jan avg record high F  = 45.7
| Feb avg record high F  = 51.7
| Mar avg record high F  = 66.3
| Apr avg record high F  = 77.9
| May avg record high F  = 85.9
| Jun avg record high F  = 90.8
| Jul avg record high F  = 92.1
| Aug avg record high F  = 90.7
| Sep avg record high F  = 87.5
| Oct avg record high F  = 79.9
| Nov avg record high F  = 64.5
| Dec avg record high F  = 50.6
| year avg record high F = 94.3
| Jan high F = 26.1
| Feb high F = 30.6
| Mar high F = 42.4
| Apr high F = 55.7
| May high F = 68.2
| Jun high F = 77.9
| Jul high F = 81.6
| Aug high F = 79.9
| Sep high F = 72.6
| Oct high F = 59.3
| Nov high F = 44.2
| Dec high F = 31.8
| year high F = 55.9
| Jan mean F = 18
| Feb mean F = 21.9
| Mar mean F = 33.2
| Apr mean F = 45.8
| May mean F = 58
| Jun mean F = 67.9
| Jul mean F = 71.6
| Aug mean F = 69.6
| Sep mean F = 61.6
| Oct mean F = 49.2
| Nov mean F = 36.3
| Dec mean F = 24.4
| year mean F = 46.5
| Jan low F = 9.9
| Feb low F = 13.2
| Mar low F = 24
| Apr low F = 35.8
| May low F = 47.8
| Jun low F = 57.9
| Jul low F = 61.6
| Aug low F = 59.4
| Sep low F = 50.7
| Oct low F = 39
| Nov low F = 28.3
| Dec low F = 17.1
| year low F = 37.1
| Jan avg record low F  = -11.7
| Feb avg record low F  = -7.8
| Mar avg record low F  = 3.2
| Apr avg record low F  = 22.4
| May avg record low F  = 34.1
| Jun avg record low F  = 44.3
| Jul avg record low F  = 51.1
| Aug avg record low F  = 47.7
| Sep avg record low F  = 36.5
| Oct avg record low F  = 25.9
| Nov avg record low F  = 13
| Dec avg record low F  = -2.6
| year avg record low F = -15.2
| Jan record low F = -35
| Feb record low F = -37
| Mar record low F = -25
| Apr record low F = 5
| May record low F = 20
| Jun record low F = 29
| Jul record low F = 37
| Aug record low F = 33
| Sep record low F = 17
| Oct record low F = 8
| Nov record low F = -10
| Dec record low F = -24
| year record low F = -37
| precipitation colour   = green
| Jan precipitation inch = 1.44
| Feb precipitation inch = 1.41
| Mar precipitation inch = 2.18
| Apr precipitation inch = 4.15
| May precipitation inch = 4.58
| Jun precipitation inch = 5.61
| Jul precipitation inch = 4.51
| Aug precipitation inch = 4.12
| Sep precipitation inch = 3.56
| Oct precipitation inch = 2.86
| Nov precipitation inch = 2.22
| Dec precipitation inch = 1.68
| year precipitation inch = 38.32
| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
| Jan precipitation days  = 9.2
| Feb precipitation days  = 8.3
| Mar precipitation days  = 9.3
| Apr precipitation days  = 11.6
| May precipitation days  = 13.1
| Jun precipitation days  = 11.6
| Jul precipitation days  = 10.2
| Aug precipitation days  = 10.4
| Sep precipitation days  = 10.2
| Oct precipitation days  = 10.4
| Nov precipitation days  = 8.1
| Dec precipitation days  = 9.5
| year precipitation days = 121.9
| Jan snow inch = 10.2
| Feb snow inch = 10.0
| Mar snow inch = 5.5
| Apr snow inch = 2.2
| May snow inch = 0.0
| Jun snow inch = 0.0
| Jul snow inch = 0.0
| Aug snow inch = 0.0
| Sep snow inch = 0.0
| Oct snow inch = 0.5
| Nov snow inch = 2.0
| Dec snow inch = 8.9
| year snow inch = 39.3
| unit snow days = 0.1 in
| Jan snow days  = 6.8
| Feb snow days  = 5.8
| Mar snow days  = 3.4
| Apr snow days  = 1.0
| May snow days  = 0.0
| Jun snow days  = 0.0
| Jul snow days  = 0.0
| Aug snow days  = 0.0
| Sep snow days  = 0.0
| Oct snow days  = 0.2
| Nov snow days  = 1.5
| Dec snow days  = 5.9
| year snow days = 24.6
| source = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name="NOWData">{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=mkx
|title = NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = March 28, 2024}}</ref><ref name="NCEI">{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00476718&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = March 28, 2024}}</ref>
}}

== Demographics ==
{{US Census population
|1850= 603
|1860= 2879
|1870= 3945
|1880= 4346
|1890= 5143
|1900= 5459
|1910= 5440
|1920= 5582
|1930= 6308
|1940= 7016
|1950= 7334
|1960= 7822
|1970= 7821
|1980= 7896
|1990= 8640
|2000= 9728
|2010= 10324
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
|2020=10581}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-11-18}}</ref> of 2010, there were 10,324 people, 4,060 households, and 2,349 families living in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1170.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 4,493 housing units at an average density of {{convert|509.4|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 90.9% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 5% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.9% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.8% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.7% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.6% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] people of any race were 4.0% of the population.

There were 4,060 households, of which 31% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.1% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.9.

The median age in the city was 37.2 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.6% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 13.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.7% male and 46.3% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 9,728 people, 3,770 households, and 2,228 families living in the city. The [[population density]] was 1,172.9 people per square mile (453.1/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 3,970 housing units at an average density of 478.7 per square mile (184.9/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the city was 92.76% [[White (U.S. Census)|European-American]], 3.90% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.51% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.71% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.05% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.85% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.21% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] people of any race were 3.39% of the population.

There were 3,770 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,815, and the median income for a family was $44,804. Males had a median income of $33,158 versus $23,478 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $18,039. About 4.6% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

== Education ==
[[Image:PostcardPortageWIPortageHighSchool1911.jpg|thumb|right|Portage High School, 1911]]

[[Portage Community School District (Wisconsin)|Portage Community School District]] serves Portage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st55_wi/schooldistrict_maps/c55021_columbia/DC20SD_C55021.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Columbia County, WI|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-11-16}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st55_wi/schooldistrict_maps/c55021_columbia/DC20SD_C55021_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

[[Portage High School (Wisconsin)|Portage High School]] was upgraded to a larger building in 1998, with the older high school building now housing the Wayne E. Bartels Middle School. Portage has two elementary schools: John Muir and Woodridge. Two rural elementary schools serve two of the towns in Columbia County: Lewiston and Fort Winnebago. There are also two private schools: St. John's Lutheran and St. Mary's Catholic Schools. [[Madison Area Technical College]] also has a campus located in Portage.

The Portage scheme of support for children with special educational needs was developed in the city.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.portage.org.uk/about/what-portage | title=What is Portage? &#124; National Portage Association }}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
=== Corrections ===
[[Wisconsin Department of Corrections]] operates the [[Columbia Correctional Institution (Wisconsin)|Columbia Correctional Institution]].

=== Transportation ===
[[File:Portage station.jpg|thumb|[[Portage station|Amtrak station]] in Portage]]

Three interstate highways, [[Interstate 94]], [[Interstate 90]], and [[Interstate 39]], run past Portage, giving the city a 30-minute commute to [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]] and 15-minute commute to [[Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin|Wisconsin Dells]]. The city also lies only a few hours from [[Milwaukee]], [[Chicago]], and [[Minneapolis]]/ [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]].

[[Portage (Amtrak station)|Portage station]] provides [[Amtrak]] service via the ''[[Empire Builder]]'' between Chicago and Seattle or Portland, and the ''[[Borealis (train)|Borealis]]'' between Chicago and St. Paul, for a total of two trains in either direction daily. Freight railroad service is provided by the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] which does business in the [[American Midwest]] as the [[Soo Line Railroad]].

Portage is served by intercity bus from [[Janesville, WI|Janesville]] via Madison to [[Wausau, WI|Wausau]] with a bus stopping in each direction daily at the [[Portage station]]
[[Portage Municipal Airport]] (C47) serves the city and surrounding communities.

== Notable people ==

{{div col}}
* [[Earl Abell]], member of the [[College Football Hall of Fame]]
* [[Alvin Alden]], Wisconsin politician
* [[Walt Ambrose]], [[NFL]] player
* [[Josiah D. Arnold]], Wisconsin politician
* [[Levi W. Barden]], Wisconsin politician
* [[Everett Bidwell]], Wisconsin politician
* [[Peter J. Boylan]], U.S. Army general, President of [[Georgia Military College]]
* [[Ben Brancel]], Wisconsin politician
* [[Samuel S. Brannan]], Wisconsin politician and newspaper editor<ref>A. J. Turner (ed.). ''[http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1873 The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin: Comprising the Constitution of the United States and of the State of Wisconsin, Jefferson's Manual, Forms and Laws for the Regulation of Business, etc.]'' 12th ed. Madison: Atwood and Culver, 1873, p. 441.</ref>
* [[Llywelyn Breese]], Wisconsin politician, former Secretary of State 
* [[Guy W.S. Castle]], [[Medal of Honor]] recipient
* [[Maureen Clark]], U.S. Olympian
* [[William W. Corning]], Wisconsin politician
* [[Jeffrey Dahmer]], imprisoned at [[Columbia Correctional Institution (Wisconsin)|Columbia Correctional Institution]] in Portage
* [[Luther S. Dixon]], Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
* [[Thomas E. Fairchild]], Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals
* [[Russel C. Falconer]], Wisconsin politician
* [[Zona Gale]], writer, first woman to win the [[Pulitzer Prize]] for drama, 1921
* [[Charles Randall Gallett]], Wisconsin politician
* [[B. Frank Goodell]], Wisconsin politician
* [[Henry Gunderson]], [[lieutenant governor of Wisconsin]]
* [[Joshua James Guppey]], [[Union Army]] general
* [[Frank A. Haskell]], [[Union Army]] [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]], author of a noted account of the [[Battle of Gettysburg]]
* [[Philip Hayes (general)|Philip Hayes]], U.S. Army general
* [[Charles W. Henney]], U.S. Representative
* [[John Edward Kelley]], U.S. Representative from [[South Dakota]]
* [[Herman Lange]], Wisconsin politician
* [[Margery Latimer]], writer
* [[James J. Lindsay]], U.S. Army general
* [[Wellington Porter McFail]], aviator
* [[Hugh McFarlane]], Wisconsin politician
* [[John Muir]], naturalist
* [[William Owen (b. 1825)|William Owen]], Wisconsin politician
* [[Russell W. Peterson]], former [[governor of Delaware]]
* [[Russ Rebholz]], head coach of the [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]], member of the [[Canadian Football Hall of Fame]]; head coach of the [[UW-Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball|University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers]] men's basketball team
* [[Ferdinand Schulze]], Wisconsin politician
* [[Delphine Anderson Squires]], suffragist and journalist
* [[Mike Thompson (American football)|Mike Thompson]], [[NFL]] player
* [[Yellow Thunder]], chief of the [[Ho-Chunk]] (or Winnebago) tribe
* [[Andrew Jackson Turner]], writer, newspaper editor, politician
* [[Frederick Jackson Turner]], historian, [[Pulitzer Prize]] winner
* [[Samuel K. Vaughan]], [[Union Army]] general
* [[Joan Wade]], Wisconsin politician
* [[Jabez H. Wells]], Wisconsin politician<ref>'Wisconsin Blue Book 1899,' Biographical Sketch of Jabez H. Wells, pg. 765</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Images==
<gallery>
File:Portage, Wisconsin.jpg| Looking south at DeWitt Street and MacFarlane Lane divide
File:PortageWisconsinSignWIS33.jpg| West side city limit sign on Highway 33
File:PortageWisconsinWelcomeSignWIS33.jpg|Welcome sign
File:Portage WI Post Office.jpg|Post office
File:HenryMerrellHousePortageWisconsinWIS33.jpg|[[Henry Merrell House]]
File:Portage Industrial Waterfront Historic District.jpg|Part of the [[Portage Industrial Waterfront Historic District]]
File:PortageRetailHistoricDistrictCookBetweenWisconsinDeWittWIS33.jpg|Part of the [[Portage Retail Historic District]]
File:Society Hill Historic District Portage WI.jpg|A house in the [[Society Hill Historic District (Portage, Wisconsin)|Society Hill Historic District]]
File:Portage Water Tower Near Pauquette Park.jpg|Portage Water Tower Near Pauquette Park
</gallery>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Portage, Wisconsin}}
* [https://www.portagewi.gov/ City of Portage]
* [http://www.portagewi.com/ Portage Chamber of Commerce]

{{Columbia County, Wisconsin}}
{{Madison}}
{{Wisconsin county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Portage, Wisconsin| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Cities in Columbia County, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Portages in the United States]]
[[Category:County seats in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1854]]
[[Category:1854 establishments in Wisconsin]]