The Fox-Wisconsin waterway and Portage Canal placed Portage in the center of heavy commercial traffic in the 1800s, distributing lumber, grain and other supplies. It was also an early railroad center and highway crossroad. The most rapid expansion in this National Register District took place after the Civil War with construction often in Portage cream brick. In the midst of these Victorian facade buildings, there is a thriving diversified retail district in what is now a county seat. Walking tour maps available at the Chamber Office.