#1Famous people · Portage
Portage counts 22 famous people, first among them Frederick Jackson Turner
Frederick Jackson Turner, the American historian, is the most widely known, written about in 42 languages. Second and third on the list are Zona Gale and Russell W. Peterson. The largest group, 11, was born in the age of mills and railroads. Born in 1853, John Edward Kelley is the first name on record, and Madison Bear, born in 1997, the most recent.
Born here
22
notable people
Best known
Frederick Jackson Turner
in 42 Wikipedia languages
First
1853
John Edward Kelley
Youngest
1997
Madison Bear
Also called it home
1
notable residents
What stands out about Portage’s famous people
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Portage
Two of the three are writers and artists.
#1
#2
#3Politics & Law
Russell W. Peterson
1916–2011American politician and chemist
9 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years
When Portage’s famous people were born
More were born in the 1860s than in any other decade: 3.
NotableSportsWriting & ArtsPolitics & LawMilitaryScience & Medicine
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Known for
What Portage is known for
Set against the usual town, writers and artists come out 1.3 times as common.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Portage
19 more, 7 of them athletes.
Robert W. Corrigan
1927–1993American academic and the founding editor of the Carleton Drama Review
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
A chosen home
Also called Portage home
Born elsewhere, John Muir lived here.
The town’s pick
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Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
The longest list nearby is Caledonia’s, with one.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Portage and whose English Wikipedia article agrees, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. People known mainly for crimes, and adult performers, aren’t listed. “The usual town” = everyone born in the towns gathered so far.
Photo credits (9)
- Frederick Jackson Turner: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Zona Gale: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Russell W. Peterson: Office of Senator Thomas Carper, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James J. Lindsay: Russell Roederer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Edward Kelley: The Neale Publishing Company (Washington, D.C.), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Earl Abell: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Guy W. S. Castle: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Muir: Underwood & Underwood, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James S. Towers: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons