The Portage
The Portage by Robert Griffing
Print Size - 27 3/4" x 16 5/8"
Edition Size - 1250 signed and numbered (s/n) paper prints
Lakes and rivers were the first highways of North America.Long before roads, canals or modern form of transportation, the natural water routes provided a means of moving people and goods around much of the eastern part of the continent. The massive Great Lakes and Mississippi Valley watersheds were two particular extensive networks of connecting lakes and rivers leading into the heart of the land.
Nearly all of the first peoples of America designed small watercraft light enough to be carried around impediments such as mountains, and large waterfalls.
The greatest of North American portages was the six mile carry around the gorge and falls of the Niagara River. The route connected Canada and New York with the Great Lakes. Like many portages, the Niagara was fortified by Europeans and fought over throughout the 18th. century.
