Portage Path

Portage Path was the carrying place between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas rivers, and together the two streams and the portage across the watershed formed an early route between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. Indians first used this narrow strip of land, followed by French and English traders and trappers, and later American settlers and travelers, who carried canoes and packs across it while passing by river between northern and southern Ohio. The portage also served as part of the defined boundaries in treaties with Indians made at Fort McIntosh in 1785, Fort Harmar in 1789, and Green Ville in 1795. Its use ended in 1827 when the Ohio and Erie Canal was built along the old trail, and today Akron streets including Portage Path and Manchester Road follow approximately the route of the original portage.

Akron, Ohio · United States