By the end of the 17th century, the Fox-Wisconsin waterway was the major fur trade path between Green Bay and Prairie du Chien. In the 1780s and 1790s, traders built their warehouses at each end of The Portage. In the early 19th century, Portage was mostly populated by Metis. In 1828, the federal government saw the economic importance of The Portage. They built Fort Winnebago at the Fox River end. Portage became the county seat in 1851. The community incorporated as Portage City in 1854.