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B+History
History · Portage Township

Portage Township dates to 1830, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 74% of U.S. towns · #170 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1954 on, and the census since 1970.

1830founded
0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Portage Township began

When was Portage Township founded?

1830

Portage Township dates its founding to 1830 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 33,590 in 19702020 census: 3,189196 years

How historic is Portage Township?

B+

More historic than 74% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1903.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Portage Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Portage Township is more historic than 74% of U.S. towns, #170 of 701 in Michigan. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Portage Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1830, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194035.0% of homes (±9.3) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%ANational RegisterNo listings counted · typical MI town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 74%
NewerOlder
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 76%

Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Portage Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (32% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1830.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.3 points).

Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Portage Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Portage Township, and 8 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsEstablished in 1830: 196 years of Portage Township.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Tapiola
1903–1922
Askel
1908–1943
Elo
1908–1957
Dodgeville
1912–1984
19001960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AskelDodgevilleEloHurontownPilgrimSunshine BeachSuperiorTapiola
Gone or out of use
Askel Post Officepost officeChallenge MinemineDodgeville Post Officepost officeElo Post Officepost officeIsle Royale MinemineOld Superior MinemineTapiola Post Officepost office
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Portage Township
American LegionAskelEloForest HillKargi

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Portage Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Portage Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPlat book of Kalamazoo County, Michigan…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

Portage Township, 1830 to 1957

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1830
    FoundingPortage Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1903Post officeThe Tapiola post office opens
  5. 1908Post officeThe Askel post office opens
  6. 1908Post officeThe Elo post office opens
  7. 1922Post officeThe Tapiola post office closes
  8. 1928In the archivePlat book of Kalamazoo County, Michigan - compiled from surveys and the public records of…
  9. 1943Post officeThe Askel post office closes
  10. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1957Post officeThe Elo post office closes
The story

How Portage Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Portage Township.

Read it all →

Portage was settled in 1830, and incorporated as a city in 1963.

On May 7, 2024, the city was struck by a high-end EF2 tornado, causing significant damage to homes and properties. A FedEx distribution center was severely damaged after the tornado caused part of the roof to collapse. Over 500 buildings were damaged, with 60 being destroyed, including a strip mall.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Portage Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1920s1 item
Plat book of Kalamazoo County, Michigan - compiled from surveys and the public records of Kalamazoo County, Michigan1928Plat book of Kalamazoo County, Michigan - compiled fr…
1930s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today11 recent
Macy's2018Macy'sLand's End@Sears2018Land's End@SearsHose at Sears2018Hose at SearsDollar Tree - "Willow Creek"2018Dollar Tree - "Willow Creek"Chuck-E-Cheese's2018Chuck-E-Cheese's"It's NOT a Big Deal"2018"It's NOT a Big Deal"Macy's2017Macy'sSEARS2015SEARSPortage District No. 8 School2014Portage District No. 8 SchoolMeredith Street MI2008Meredith Street MIHough Boisea trivittata2007Hough Boisea trivittata
On the map

Portage Township on the map, 1954 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Portage Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Portage Township on the 1954 USGS mapPortage Township on the 1984 USGS map1954Pelkie sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Portage Township.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Plat book of Kalamazoo County, Michigan - compiled from surveys and the public records of Kalamazoo County, Michigan
Retake this viewPlat book of Kalamazoo County, Michigan - compiled from surveys and the public records of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, 1928

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Portage Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Portage Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,000198020002020Peak: 48,891

Between 33,590 and 48,891 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Portage Township’s Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Houghton8 historic placesAAdams Township3 historic placesAChassell Township2 historic placesBHancock5 historic placesA+HurontownIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTorch Lake Township2 historic placesA−Baraga Township3 historic placesALaird Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townElm River TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFranklin Township3 historic placesA+

Questions about Portage Township’s history

What year was Portage Township founded?

In 1830, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Portage Township’s post office opened in 1903, and the census of 1970 counted 33,590 people here.

How does Portage Township rank for history?

Portage Township is more historic than 74% of U.S. towns, #170 of 701 in Michigan. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Portage Township?

35% of Portage Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1970.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.