Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. In 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area was .
Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, alongside the Trans-Canada Highway (exactly halfway between the provincial boundaries of Saskatchewan and Ontario). It sits on the Assiniboine River, which flooded the town persistently until a diversion channel north to Lake Manitoba (the Portage Diversion) was built to divert the flood waters. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie.
According to Environment Canada, Portage la Prairie has the most sunny days during the warm months in Canada. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dakota Tipi First Nations reserve.
History
Pre-colonial era Long before European settlers arrived in the mid-1800s, the Portage la Prairie area was first inhabited by several Indigenous nations (including the Anishinaabe/Ojibwe, Cree, and Dakota/Sioux peoples) at various times across millennia.
Though anthropological evidence suggests the emergence of pre-historic plains cultures in southwestern Manitoba as early as 12,000 years ago, habitable grasslands and human activity likely never emerged around present-day Portage la Prairie until the receding of Lake Agassiz 8,000–10,000 years ago.
Fur trade Legend has it that coureurs des bois Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers—both instrumental in the founding of the Hudson's Bay Company—may have been the first Europeans to visit the area as early as the mid-17th century. The name "Portage la Prairie", perhaps coined by these early explorers, is derived from the French word portage, which means to carry a canoe overland between waterways, in this case over "the prairie". This particular "portage" route, used by Indigenous peoples even before the global Fur Trade, ran for 25 kilometres between the Assiniboine River and Lake Manitoba.
In September 1738, after the Assiniboine River fur trade had extended into Western Canada, Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye (a French-Canadian explorer and fur trader) built Fort La Reine north of the Assiniboine River. The fort served primarily as a French fur trading post, while also providing the explorers with a "home" operating base from which they would explore other parts of central Manitoba and western North America. The fort ceased operations after burning to the ground in 1759, toward the end of New France. During intermittent periods between the years 1794 and 1913, both the Northwest Company and Hudson's Bay Company had successfully established and operated trading posts in the area (the two entities amalgamated in 1821).
Arrival of European settlers In 1851, Archdeacon William Cochrane (Cockran)Memorable Manitobans: William Cockran [William Cochrane] (1798–1865) of the Anglican Church, John McLean,Memorable Manitobans: John McLean (1815–1902) as well as other ambitious settlers, were among the first to acquire permanent land in the area from the local Indigenous people, around what is now Crescent Lake (formerly known as "The Slough").
A school was soon built as settlers poured in from the east and the community began to develop, followed by a church (St. Mary's La Prairie, 1854), and soon, numerous local businesses. The fertile soils of the Portage la Prairie area were "discovered" in the 1850s, giving birth to the future, agriculturally-based economy of the village; Cochrane encouraged people to start growing crops and gardens on their properties to fulfil the needs of the growing food demand. A local government was formed in 1857 and by the 1860s, there were sixty homes in the community.
Republic of Manitobah For a brief period between 1867 and 1868, just before the province of Manitoba entered confederation, Thomas Spence—a councillor for Louis Riel's Provisional Government—controversially led an organized movement to establish an independent state around the community of Portage la Prairie, known as the Republic of Manitobah. Spence's hopeful plans for a new republic were soon quashed as his movement was never recognized as an official government nor granted any royal assent by the British monarchy.
Birth and growth of a Prairie city The 1870s was a decade of rapid growth for Portage la Prairie, as many more settlers moved to town establishing farms and opening new businesses. By this time, the village had an operating flour mill, a local newspaper, and a community fair; just to name a few of Portage's highlights. From the 1870s to the 1880s, the community increased in population by approximately 10 times (from 300 to 3,000). Freight and supplies were transported by oxcart and steamboat until the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in 1881, the year after Portage was incorporated as a town. Thomas Collins was the first mayor of Portage la Prairie.
In 1907, Portage was incorporated as a city, and from that point on, managed to keep a gradual rate of growth and development, serving as a regional hub for agriculture, retail, manufacturing and transportation in central Manitoba.
During World War II, the Royal Canadian Air Force constructed Canadian Forces Base Portage la Prairie in support of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The station was controlled by the RCAF but used naval personnel as high-frequency direction finding operators. The station's priority was German U-boat traffic. This site and CFB Rivers located at Rivers, Manitoba helped to increase the fix accuracy immensely.
Commercial cultivation of industrial cannabis was banned in Canada in 1938. In 1928, of industrial hemp was grown in Canada, with of that being in Portage la Prairie.
Geography
The city became a major transportation centre due to its proximity to the river, and later, the location of the main lines of the country's national railways passing through the community. The CPR and Canadian National Railways (CNR) intersect in Portage; one of the few places in Canada where the two railways meet. This has made Portage la Prairie one of the most ideal places for railway aficionados to view trains; approximately 72 trains pass through the city each day. The Trans-Canada Highway, a major national transportation route, runs past the city and provides the community with business if highway travellers decide to make a trek into Portage.
The post-glacial flood plain surrounding Portage la Prairie is highly fertile, with rich, clay-loam soils abundant in nutrients. Portage la Prairie is therefore a major agricultural centre in Manitoba, and in Canada. The rural land surrounding the community is undoubtedly a breadbasket in North America, boasting some of the best soils on the continent for the production of a wide array of vegetables, berries, grains, and lentils.
The city has an aggressive tree-planting program and is known for its mature urban forest. A collection of some of the largest cottonwood trees in Canada line the west end of the main street known as Saskatchewan Avenue (as well as Crescent Road which runs adjacent to Crescent Lake), and, along with many other species like Manitoba maple, bur oak and green ash, are present throughout the city.
It is the home of former Prime Minister of Canada Arthur Meighen; a school and an avenue are named in his honour.
Climate According to Environment Canada, Portage la Prairie has the most sunny days during the warm months in Canada. Portage has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb, United States Department of Agriculture, Plant Hardiness Zone 3a) with warm summers and very cold, dry winters. The highest temperature ever recorded in Portage La Prairie was on 11 July 1936. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 2 February 1996.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Portage la Prairie had a population of 13,270 living in 5,644 of its 6,109 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 13,304. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
According to the 2016 Census, Portage la Prairie had 5,794 private dwellings, 5,576 which were occupied (96.2% occupancy rate). The median value of a dwelling is $150,297 in Portage la Prairie, almost half as low as the national median at $280,552. The average household has 2.3 people and the average family has 1.1 children. The median (after-tax) household income in the area is $46,963, lower than the national rate at $54,089. The median age of Portage la Prairie is 40.8, essentially par with the national median at 40.6 years old.Census Profile, Portage la Prairie, CY, Manitoba, 2016 Retrieved 15 March 2017
The census also reports that 89.9% of the residents' mother tongue was English, followed by French (2.5%) and German (2.5%).
Ethnicity Portage la Prairie is almost exclusively inhabited by people of Indigenous or European ancestry (89.6%). + Panethnic groups in the City of Portage La Prairie (2001−2021)Panethnic group20212016201120062001 European 7,760 8,125 9,200 9,295 9,715 Indigenous 3,735 3,990 2,845 2,580 2,330 South Asian 575 205 80 0 0 Southeast Asian 425 250 140 55 70 African 190 70 60 125 30 Latin American 70 35 35 0 15 East Asian 35 70 0 50 30 Middle Eastern 0 0 15 0 0 Other/multiracial 30 10 0 20 0 Total responses 12,835 12,765 12,395 12,110 12,190 Total population 13,270 13,304 12,996 12,728 12,976
Religion Religiously speaking, most of the residents either practise a form of Christianity (66.4%) or have no religious affiliation (30.9%). 1.7% of the population practise a form of traditional Indigenous spirituality.
Education
Public education falls under the Portage la Prairie School Division.Portage la Prairie School Division
Public schools École Arthur Meighen School École Crescentview School Fort la Reine School Hutterian Schools La Verendrye School North Memorial School Oakville School Portage Collegiate Institute Yellowquill School
Private schools Westpark SchoolWestpark School Solid Rock Ministries Christian School
Post-secondary schools Portage Campus of the Red River CollegePortage Campus – Red River College
Other Portage Learning & Literacy CentrePortage Learning & Literacy Centre
Transportation Portage la Prairie railway station is served by Via Rail with both the Canadian and Winnipeg – Churchill trains calling at the station.
The Portage la Prairie Canadian Pacific Railway Station no longer receives passenger rail service, and is operated as a museum.
The Portage la Prairie Southport Airport is a former air force base and the primary airport in the city. The Portage la Prairie (North) Airport is also near Portage la Prairie and consists of a grass field.
Rider Express operates an intercity bus route from Winnipeg to Regina once a week.
For road travellers, the city is served by the Manitoba Highway 1, part of the Trans-Canada Highway.
Local media
Newspapers Weekly newspaper (local), The Graphic Leader Weekly newspaper (regional), The Headliner The Winnipeg Free Press and Winnipeg Sun are also available.
Radio CFRY (AM) 920 – country music, owned by Golden West Broadcasting CHPO-FM 93.1 – country music, owned by Golden West Broadcasting CJPG-FM 96.5 – classic hits, owned by Golden West Broadcasting
Television Portage la Prairie receives all television stations from nearby Winnipeg. CHMI-DT channel 13, affiliated with Citytv, is licensed to Portage la Prairie, with studios in downtown Winnipeg.
Cable television is also available through MTS Ultimate TV and Shaw Cable systems.
Online Media Portage Online, owned by Golden West Broadcasting The Portage Citizen PCI Channel 1 [local high school news outlet]
Arts and culture
Museums