ABOUT PORTLAND
Portland is a small village located on Big Rideau Lake and adjacent to Highway 15. Portland boasts three full service marinas and is one of the main gateways for visitors to access Big Rideau Lake. There are a variety of places to stay in the area, for listings of these follow the links from the accommodations page. Both boat tours and boat rentals are available in town. For more information see the boat rentals and tours page.
In addition to boating, there are many things for the landlubber to do and see in the Portland area. There are several stores in town, including antique and collectables stores. The Cataraqui all-season trail passes just a bit east of town, golf courses are located nearby, one of the local B&Bs offer horseback riding, and cheese lovers will want to visit the Forfar cheese factory, one of the very few independent cheese factories left in Ontario, located just a few kilometres south of town.
HISTORY
Portland is one of the early settlements along the Rideau. The first permanent settlers were Herman and Harry Chipman, Loyalists who settled in the area in 1796. Portland is located on one of the original routes to Perth. It was first known as The Bay. Travellers would go overland from Brockville to The Bay, then board scows and travel by water to Oliver's Ferry (now Rideau Ferry) where they would travel overland to the Tay River (past Pikes Falls) and then complete their journey by boat into Perth. The name of the small community was later changed to Old Landing because of the number of timber scows that would dock at the village. In 1833 it was renamed Portland in honour of William Henry Cavendish Bentinck, the 3rd Duke of Portland. The name Portland comes from the Isle of Portland, which lies off shore from Weymouth in Dorset, England.
Portland remained a centre of commerce through the 1800s, serving the commercial boat traffic that plied the Rideau. The business directory for 1866-67 listed coopers, hotel keepers, store keepers, blacksmiths, wagon makers, mitten makers, a watch maker, a miller, and a dentist. When commercial activity along the Rideau slowed down in the early 1900s, the main activity in Portland became a service centre for local residents, including the many people starting to cottage on Big Rideau Lake. This remains Portland's raison d'être to this day.
There are several interesting buildings to see in Portland. These include the Emmanuel Anglican Church located on the height of land at the south end of town which was built in 1862. It was expanded in 1885 and in 1897 a tower with bell was added.
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