Historic Highways of America/Volume 7/Part 2/Chapter 1

by Archer Butler Hulbert

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTORY

AS introductory to the description of the more noted American portages, it will be advantageous to present them at a bird's-eye view in the form of a comparative chart stating the names and termini of each, with a remark concerning its specific function:

CHART OF AMERICAN PORTAGES

Portage Route.

Water Termini.

Remarks.

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St. Johns–St. Lawrence.	Grand River–Wagan.	This and the two following are important land passes in the water route up the St. Johns to Canada.
Same.	Touladi–Trois Pistoles.
Same.	Ashberish–Trois Pistoles.
Same.	Temiscouata–Rivière du Loup.	Route of present post road between same points.
Same.	St. Francis–Lake Pohenegamook, to head of La Fourche branch of Rivière du Loup.	Short but difficult portage.
Same.	Black River–Ouelle.	Morris Map describes this as an express route.
Same.	North-West Branch of St. John River–Rivière du Sud.	"Grand Portage."
Same.	Lake Etchemin route.	Route of Etchemin Indians to Quebec.
Kennebec–St. Lawrence.	Rivière des Loups–Moosehead Lake–Rivière Chaudière.	Probably the most practicable route from Quebec up the Chaudière and over the divide into the Kennebec River.
Same.	Dead River–Chaudière ("The Terrible Carrying-place").	Probably the most practicable route from the south by way of the Kennebec to Quebec. Arnold's route.
Connecticut–St. Francis.	Same.	Important Indian route from Canada into New Hampshire.
Connecticut–Lake Champlain.	Otter Creek–Black (?) River.	Route from French ports on Lake Champlain to the Connecticut Valley.
Hudson–Lake Champlain.	Hudson–Lake George.	The "Grand Pass" from the Hudson Valley toward Canada. Followed by Dieskau, Johnson, Montcalm, Abercrombie and Burgoyne.
Same.	Hudson–Wood Creek–Lake George.	Portage to Fort Ann.
St. Lawrence–Lake Champlain.	St. Lawrence–Richelieu.	Last portage in the "Grand Pass" from New York to Montreal.
Hudson–Lake Ontario.	Mohawk–Wood Creek (feeder of Lake Oneida).	Strategic portage in the route from Albany and New York to Oswego and Niagara.
Mohawk–Susquehanna.	Mohawk–Lake Otsego.	Route from Central New York to Pennsylvania.
Niagara.	Portage around Niagara Falls.	Another route around Niagara Falls was by portage from western extremity of Lake Ontario to Grand River.
Chautauqua.	Chautauqua Creek–Chautauqua Lake.	Céloron's Route to the Ohio.
Lake Erie–Allegheny.	Lake Erie–French Creek.	Marin's Route to Fort Duquesne.
Ohio River–Lake Erie.	Cuyahoga–Tuscarawas.	Route from Muskingum to Lake Erie.
Same.	Scioto–Sandusky.
Same.	Miami–Auglaize and St. Mary.	Céloron's return route from the Ohio to Lake Erie.
Wabash–Lake Erie.	Maumee–St. Mary–Little River ("Petite Rivière.")	"The Wabash–Maumee Trade Route."
Wabash–Lake Michigan.	Wabash–St. Joseph.
Illinois–Lake Michigan.	Kankakee–St. Joseph.
Illinois–Lake Michigan.	Des Plaines–Illinois.
Mississippi–Lake Michigan.	Pigeon River–Lake of the Woods.	Direct route from Georgian Bay and Lake Michigan to the Mississippi.
Lake Superior–Hudson Bay.	Green Bay–Fox-Wisonsin.	"The Grand Portage."

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