From the Backroads of Wisconsin’s Past

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A logo depicts Native Americans carrying a canoe and a pack across a portage at Portage, Wisconsin.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

What remains of the Portage Canal runs through downtown Portage, Wisconsin, between the Fox and Wisconsin rivers.

Jason Maloney/for Agri-View

The remnants of the Portage Canal include a recently completed walking path in Portage, Wisconsin.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

A paved walking path leads visitors along the south bank of the Portage Canal. The canal connected the Fox and Wisconsin rivers to providing shipping from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

A paved path complete with lights and interpretive panels along the Portage Canal leads to downtown Portage, Wisconsin. The path is a favorite with schoolkids and dog walkers.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Autumn colors reflect in the waters of the Portage Canal. Boat traffic through the canal ceased in the early 1950s.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

The Portage Canal separates residential and light-industrial sections of Portage, Wisconsin. Recently renewed, the canal has become a tourist attraction in Portage, Wisconsin. For those on foot it's accessible via the National Ice Age Trail. Visit portagewi.com/portage-canal-segment for more information.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Railroad tracks pass over the Portage Canal at the edge of Portage, Wisconsin. By the time the canal opened in the 1870s railroads had overtaken canals as a way of shipping goods and produce.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

The remnants of a railroad lift bridge cross the Portage Canal. The bridge could be raised to allow ships to pass beneath by using a superstructure and counterweights. Vessels could not navigate the canal after the Fort Winnebago lock was demolished in the early 1950s.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Photos of the railroad lift bridge over the Portage Canal are part of an interpretive display along the National Ice Age Trail at Portage, Wisconsin.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

A lift bridge spans the Portage Canal. Built during the Great Depression, the bridge was only raised twice.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

A photo of the lift bridge across the Portage Canal appears on an interpretive panel. The superstructure and counterweights that allowed the bridge to be raised were removed before 1970.

Jason Maloney/For Agri-View

Jason Maloney and Red

Jason Maloney For Agri-View

PORTAGE, Wis. – That old adage about being “a day late and a dollar short” seems to be an especially apt description for some endeavors. It doesn’t mean those endeavors had no merit; it just means their merit was overcome by the passing of time and a lack of money.

Jason Maloney is an “elderly” farm boy from Marinette County, Wisconsin. He’s a retired educator, a retired soldier and a lifelong Wisconsin resident. He lives on the shore of Lake Superior with his wife, Cindy Dillenschneider, and Red, a sturdy loyal Australian Shepherd.