Description

Book Synopsis
Explores the significance of the Chicago Portage, one of the most important - and neglected - sites in early US history. A seven-mile-long strip of marsh connecting the Chicago and Des Plaines Rivers, the portage was inhabited by the earliest indigenous people in the Midwest and served as a major trade route for Native American tribes.

Table of Contents
  • Introduction: Key to the Continent
  • 1. From Glaciers to Industrious Beavers
  • 2. Prehistoric Chicago
  • 3. Commerce and the Cross
  • 4. The Eighteenth-Century Background
  • 5. Fort Dearborn
  • 6. The MÉtis Effect
  • 7. Chicago, Wisconsin?
  • 8. The Portage in Transition
  • 9. The Coming of the Canal
  • 10. Where was the Chicago Portage?
  • 11. “A History of Chicanery”
  • 12. The Past and Future of a National Historic Site
  • Epilogue: The Past Imbedded
  • Acknowledgments
  • Appendix
  • Bibliography
  • Notes
  • Index

A History of the Chicago Portage

    Product form

    £19.76

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £21.95 – you save £2.19 (9%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Wed 19 Aug 2026.

    A Paperback by Benjamin Sells

    10 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of A History of the Chicago Portage by Benjamin Sells

      Publisher: Northwestern University Press
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 8/30/2021 12:00:00 AM
      ISBN13: 9780810143906, 978-0810143906
      ISBN10: 0810143909

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Explores the significance of the Chicago Portage, one of the most important - and neglected - sites in early US history. A seven-mile-long strip of marsh connecting the Chicago and Des Plaines Rivers, the portage was inhabited by the earliest indigenous people in the Midwest and served as a major trade route for Native American tribes.

      Table of Contents
      • Introduction: Key to the Continent
      • 1. From Glaciers to Industrious Beavers
      • 2. Prehistoric Chicago
      • 3. Commerce and the Cross
      • 4. The Eighteenth-Century Background
      • 5. Fort Dearborn
      • 6. The MÉtis Effect
      • 7. Chicago, Wisconsin?
      • 8. The Portage in Transition
      • 9. The Coming of the Canal
      • 10. Where was the Chicago Portage?
      • 11. “A History of Chicanery”
      • 12. The Past and Future of a National Historic Site
      • Epilogue: The Past Imbedded
      • Acknowledgments
      • Appendix
      • Bibliography
      • Notes
      • Index

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account