Portage-du-Fort

History

In 1611, a French scout named Nicolas de Vignau arrived at this site together with a group of Algonquins while on their way to Allumette Island. From here they had to portage around a series of 5 difficult waterfalls on the Ottawa River. The portage from Harbor Square to Bentley's Landing is one of the oldest trails in North America because the Native peoples inhabiting the valley have used it for thousands of years. In 1694, Louis d'Ailleboust, Sieur de Coulonge, established a fur trading post near the mouth of the Coulonge River. Subsequently, the long portage around the falls that led to Fort Coulonge became known as "le portage du fort". In the early 19th century timber slides were built around the falls, allowing loggers easy access to Pontiac County and Portage-du-Fort became the hub for all traffic connected with the lumber industry. A memorial of Lady Head's visit to the Upper Ottawa, in a bark canoe, in 1856, stands at Portage-du-Fort, Quebec. She was the wife of Sir Edmund Walker Head, 8th Baronet. Portage du Fort was home to the area's first newspaper, the Pontiac Pioneer and Portage du Fort Advertiser, which was published by G.E. White from 1855 to 1865.

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  3,913
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,965
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,843
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,829
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,462
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,413
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,251
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  2,212

Most recent

• M 4 — 2026-04-14
  21 km NNE of Shawville, Canada
• M 2.5 — 2022-05-10
  southern Ontario, Canada
• M 2.9 — 2018-07-19
  17 km SW of Petawawa, Canada
• M 2.5 — 2017-10-06
  9 km SSE of Nepean, Canada
• M 2.57 — 2017-08-14
  15 km NNW of Buckingham, Canada
• M 3.1 — 2017-07-31
  30 km NNE of Val-des-Monts, Canada