Information AboutPortage |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT PORTAGE | |
| physical geography | |
| water transport | |
| portages | |
| canoeing | |
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]] Portage refers to the practice of carrying a Canoe or other Boat over land to avoid an obstacle on the water route (such as Rapid s or a Waterfall in a River ), or between two bodies of water. Places where this carrying occurs are also called '''portage'''. Over time, depending on the importance of the portages, they were sometimes upgraded to Canal s with Locks , and even Portage Railway s. Portaging generally required unloading the vessel and carrying vessel and contents across the portage in multiple trips. Voyageurs would often employ a Thump 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 thwart may be designed in the style of a Yoke to facilitate this. Portages can range in length from dozens of meters to many kilometers in length (the famous 19km Methye Portage being a good example), and often cover hilly or difficult terrain. Portages by their nature are the result of elevation changes, either changes in elevation from one body of water to another, or changes in elevation of the land in between. This results in most portages involving some measure of climbing or descending. Places where portaging occurred often became temporary and then permanent settlements (such as Hull, Quebec , and Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario ). Sometimes the settlements were named for being on a portage, particularly in North America . Some places so named are:
There is also the settlement of Volokolamsk in Russia , whose name is derived from "portage" on Lama River . SEE ALSO
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