One of the most asked questions regarding local history relates to the course of the Portage River. The answer is not complicated nor is it lengthy.
The Portage River flowed from the west to the area of Port Clinton in somewhat the same course as the River flows today. The River flowed along what is the shoreline and marsh area of Perry Street. The leeward bank of the River was formed by sand bars in Lake Erie. The River flowed through the lower areas north of the current State Route 163 and eventually emptied into West Harbor and East Harbor.
As Lake Erie began to assume its present level and form, the gradient of the old river decreased thus forcing the Portage to seek a higher level upstream. Gradually, the mouth of the River was established at Port Clinton.
This event was not a recent development. Geographically this drainage and re-channeling was a result of the Wisconsin Glacier that passed through this area during the last Ice Age, approximately 14,000 years ago.
Sources
Prescott, Henry W. Legends of Catawba, 1922.
Ryall, Lydia. Lake Erie Islands, 1913.
Finkbeiner, Pettis & Strout, Limited. Ottawa County Planning Program; Comprehensive Regional Development Plan, vol. 2. 1970 – 1995.
