DCHP-1 Online

portage ((n.)) [< Cdn F < F]

• 1a n. on a waterway, a place where both canoe (or other vessel) and cargo are carried from one lake or river to another or around rapids, falls, or other obstructions.

  See also: carriage (def. 2)  carrying place  

  • 1698  [The Portage was two Leagues long.]
  • 1761  (1901)  In this distance there are four carrying-places, besides three or four decharges or discharges, which are places where the merchandise only is carried, and are therefore distinguishable from portages or carrying-places, where the canoe itself is taken out of the water, and transported on men's shoulders.
  • 1826  The longest portage on the route is about 13 miles in length, and occupied us seven days.
  • 1882-1898  (1966)  Others tore down one of the overnight shelters . . . and prepared the canoe for an emergency trip by water and portage to the main camp. . . .

• 1b n. See quote.

  See also: portage railroad  

  • 1908  It may be noted that early railroads were looked upon simply as portages to connect navigable waters.
  • 1965  The first [railway] line, fourteen miles of tracks between the St. Lawrence and Richelieu rivers, was intended as a portage for goods.

• 2a n. the act or process of carrying canoes, boats, supplies, etc. at such a place.

  See also: carriage (def. 1)  traverse ((1)) ((n.)) (def. 4)  

  • 1897  Towards the centre of it was discovered a peninsula, which is connected with the west shore only by a very narrow neck of land, across which a portage was made.
  • 1965  During the portage . . . Champlain stopped to watch a party of Indians perform their traditional ceremony. . . .

• 2b n. make a portage, carry craft and cargo at such a place.

  • 1698  [. . . we were oblig'd to make our Portage. . . .]
  • 1808  (1960)  They made several portages . . . the rest of the men carried the baggage.
  • 1964  He made the portage . . . without once stopping

• 3 n. the act or process of carrying boat and cargo across ice, from open water to open water.

  See also: portage ((v.)) (def. 3)  

  • 1849  (1852)  On the 16th, by making a number of portages over the ice, we rounded Point Mackenzie and entered Back's Inlet, which was partially open.
  • 1965  The men carried a boat, and where the ice of the lake gave way the four of them entered the boat and proceeded to the next floe. Half a dozen times they made this cold portage before reaching the American shore.

• 4 n. the route across a height of land, or watershed, often involving many carrying-places.

  See also: carrying place  

  • 1905  (1954)  Hudson's Bay men . . . apply the term " portage, " in a larger sense, to the higher land between water systems. . . .
  • 1933  . . . their interests demand that they get along as fast as possible, lest the lakes on the portage freeze up.
  • 1961  The "Little Divide" separates the . . . Athabasca and Churchill River systems, and the three-mile portage between Lac La Biche and Beaver Lake was used as long ago as 1798 by Hudson's Bay Company and North West Company explorers. So long as the fur traders plowed the waters of the Northwest, the "Little Divide" saw the comings and goings of brigades bound for the Mackenzie River or Hudson Bay.

• 5 n. Obs. the obstruction around which a carry is made.

  • 1826  (1829)  This river might be made navigable at no great expense, were the portages locked with dry-stone locks, the stone laid on edge and well paddled behind
  • 1826  (1829)  Not so the Canadian voyagers; they have no curiosity, but pass the portage without looking to right or left.

• 6 n. a journey by dog-sled, specifically one taking an overland route as opposed to a coastal route over sea-ice (def. 1).

  See also: sea-ice (def. 1)  

  • 1882  Inuits always prefer to move by portages when they have heavy loads and plenty of food on the sledges, and such had been the custom on all the previous sledge journeys made by "Esquimau Joe" in company with white men.
  • 1905  (1954)  Hudson's Bay men . . . apply the term "portage," in a larger sense, to . . . the transport effected by dog sleighs in winter.
  • 1951  They tell us that travel around the coast is impossible. The sea ice is too rough. We will have to go overland and take potluck with a three or four day portage.

• 7 n. North a definite crossing place over land between two sea-ice routes.

  See also: land-crossing  

  • 1951  But while crossing a portage we got lost inland, and, tired of the rocks, made for the sea. To reach the ice we had to unhitch the dogs from the sled and carry the sled downhill, over the rocks, then go back for the dogs.

• 8 n. Maritimes, Hist. a road used for portaging boats and cargo by means of vehicles.

  See also: portage man  portage road (def. 2)  portaging crowd  

  • The usual local pronunciation of this word was ['pɔrtæʃ]. See quote below and those at portage man and portaging crowd.

  • 1925  ". . . Of course the road goes on. But it arn't a highway after it enters the woods. It's called a portage" (he pronounced it portash) "and goes right through to the Nashwaak and the Miramichi. Nothin' but woods and lakes. . . ."