Portage

Portage refers to the practice of carrying a canoe or other boat over land to avoid an obstacle on the water route (such as rapids in a river), or between two water routes. Over time, depending on the importance of the portage, they were sometimes upgraded to canals with locks, and even portage railways. Portaging generally required unloading the vessel and carrying vessel and contents across the portage in multiple trips. Voyageurs would often employ a tump line on their forehead to carry a load armfree on their back. Small canoes can be portaged by carrying them inverted over one's shoulders and the center brace may be designed in the style of a yoke to facilitate this.

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Places where portaging occurred often became temporary and then permanent settlements and the settlements sometimes were named for being on a portage, particularly in North America. Some places so named are:

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• Cranberry Portage, Manitoba
• Grand Portage, Minnesota
• Portage, Indiana
• Portage, Michigan
• Town of Portage, NY
• Portage, Ohio
• Portage County, Ohio
• Portage, Pennsylvania
• Portage, Wisconsin
• Portage la Prairie, Manitoba (often referred to as "Portage")
• Portage Glacier, Alaska
• Portage River in northwest Ohio
• Portage Township, Michigan (two locations)
• Portage Township, Pennsylvania (three locations)

There is also the settlement of Portage, New Zealand and Volokolamsk in Russia.

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Canoe: A canoe is a relatively small boat, typically human-powered, but also commonly sailed. Canoes are pointed at both ends and usually open on top....

Boat: A boat is a watercraft, usually smaller than most ships. Some boats are commonly carried by a ship or on land using trailers....

Rapids: REDIRECT Real-Time Automated Personnel Identification System...