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History · Portage

Portage dates to 1867, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1964 on and the census since 1870.

1867founded
0on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Ntsimp · Public domain
Quick answers

How Portage began

When was Portage founded?

1867

Portage dates its founding to 1867 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 158 in 18702020 census: 273159 years
Founding year: Wikidata.

What stands out about Portage’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Portage are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 579 in 1900; 273 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Portage’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Portage, census by census

010020030040050060018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 579

Peaked at 579 in 1900; 273 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

The story so far

Portage, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Portage yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Portage is a town in Box Elder County, Utah, United States. The population was 273 at the 2020 census. The town received its name from Lorenzo Snow, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He named it Portage after his birthplace of Portage County, Ohio.

Portage was established in 1867. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 245 to 273 (+11%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Portage, 1867 to 1964

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1867
    FoundingPortage is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 579
  5. 1964On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Portage, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Portage Utah Town Hall2010Portage Utah Town Hall
On the map

Portage on the map, 1964 to 1989

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

Portage on the 1964 USGS mapPortage on the 1989 USGS map1964Portage sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Portage

Nobody well known was born in Portage itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Tara WestoverAmerican historian and author · b. 1986
Jay SilvesterAmerican athletics competitor · b. 1937
Harold B. LeePresident of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latt… · b. 1899
John V. EvansAmerican politician · b. 1925
Ralph R. HardingAmerican politician · b. 1929
Parley Parker ChristensenAmerican politician · b. 1869

Questions about Portage’s history

What year was Portage founded?

In 1867, according to Wikidata. the census of 1870 counted 158 people here.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.