Houghton County Portage Bridge collection

About

This collection consists of photographs and documents related to the Portage Lake Bridge (and previous versions of the bridge at the same location) between Houghton and Hancock. The photos range from approximately 1875 to 1959. The physical collection is maintained by the Houghton County Historical Society, and the digital version was originally part of the Superiorland Library Cooperative's Upper Peninsula Regional Digitization Center. For more information about the physical collection, contact the Houghton County Historical Society at (906) 296-4121 or info@houghtonhistory.org. 

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Birds Eye View of Portage Lake
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Birds Eye View of Portage Lake
This photo taken from atop the hill behind Hancock shows both Hancock (foreground) and Houghton (across the lake) and the Portage Lake. Note the Scott Hotel in the foreground and the passenger/freight vessel at the Houghton Dock. Electronic…
Bridge across Portage Lake
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Bridge across Portage Lake
View looking from Hancock to Houghton across the bridge. It was the first of several built at this location. Streetcar tracks are visible on the bridge deck on the right side. Electronic reproduction of photograph from The Bridges of Houghton County.
Construction of New Portage Lake Bridge (1 of 3)
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Construction of New Portage Lake Bridge (1 of 3)
The newest Portage Lake Bridge under construction. Photo taken from Houghton side. Electronic reproduction of photograph from The Bridges of Houghton County.
Construction of New Portage Lake Bridge (2 of 3)
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Construction of New Portage Lake Bridge (2 of 3)
Construction of the Portage Lake (Hougton - Hancock) lift bridge Electronic reproduction of photograph from The Bridges of Houghton County.
Construction of New Portage Lake Bridge (3 of 3)
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Construction of New Portage Lake Bridge (3 of 3)
Construction of the Portage Lake (Houghton - Hancock) lift bridge. Electronic reproduction of photograph from The Bridges of Houghton County.
Data about the Portage Lake Bridge
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Data about the Portage Lake Bridge
Information and dates about the bridges of Houghton - Hancock, Michigan Electronic reproduction of a text from The Bridges of Houghton County
New Portage Lake Bridge Open for Traffic
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New Portage Lake Bridge Open for Traffic
Portage Lake Lift Bridge open for traffic. Sea plane passes under bridge. While this two-level bridge is for railroad on the lower level and street traffic on the upper level, the span can be raised, and street traffic can drive on this raised lower…
New Portage Lake Lift Bridge
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New Portage Lake Lift Bridge
The Portage Lake Lift Bridge between Houghton in the south and Hancock, Michigan in the north. Opened to traffic in 1959. This bridge has two decks. The upper is for street traffic while the lower is for rail traffic. It is of steel and is operated…
Panorama View of Portage Lake
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Panorama View of Portage Lake
This view of Hancock (foreground) and Houghton (background) was probably taken from atop the Quincy Hill. Portage Lake wraps around the left background. The swing bridge is in the right foreground. Electronic reproduction of photograph from The…
Portage Bridge from Hancock Side
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Portage Bridge from Hancock Side
This wood structure built in 1875 was the first bridge to span Portage Lake between Houghton (south) and Hancock (north). Vessel passage was through a swing bridge on the north end of the structure. Electronic reproduction of photograph from The…
Portage Lake Bridge Number 2 (1 of 2)
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Portage Lake Bridge Number 2 (1 of 2)
This bridge, the second at this location, was of steel and built in 1895 to accommodate street, pedestrian, and streetcar traffic on the upper level with the railroads using the lower level. This photo taken from Mt. Ripley area shows West Houghton…
Portage Lake Bridge Number 2 (2 of 2)
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Portage Lake Bridge Number 2 (2 of 2)
This photo of the second Portage Lake Bridge was taken from the Houghton side. Note the railroad track in the forground heading into the lower level of the bridge structure. This bridge was in use from 1895 to 1959. Electronic reproduction of…
Portage Lake Bridge Open for Ship Passage
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Portage Lake Bridge Open for Ship Passage
A Great Lakes steamer passes through the Portage Lake swing bridge that connects Houghton and Hancock, Michigan. This two-level bridge carries railroad traffic on the lower level and street traffic on the upper level. Note the streetcar (left)…
Portage Lake Bridge Open for Vessel
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Portage Lake Bridge Open for Vessel
Portage Lake swing bridge between Houghton and Hancock, Michigan is open for the passage of a tug boat. Electronic reproduction of photograph from The Bridges of Houghton County.
Portage Lake Bridge with Span Open
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Portage Lake Bridge with Span Open
This photo of the Portage Lake bridge between the cities of Houghton (on the south) and Hancock, Michigan (on the north) was taken from Hancock looking south to Houghton. Note that the turn-table span is open as for a vessel to pass. Built in 1875,…
Portage Lake Drawbridge Goes Down
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Portage Lake Drawbridge Goes Down
Newspaper article describing the accident of a steamship smashing into the swing span knocking it into the lake as a twisted mass of steel and timber. Electronic reproduction of text. The Bridges of Houghton County
Second Portage Lake Bridge (1 of 3)
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Second Portage Lake Bridge (1 of 3)
This view of the second Portage Lake Bridge built in 1895 was taken from the Hancock side. Note the speed limit sign next to the horse-drawn carriage ("slow to 15 MPH"). In the left foreground, a train approaches the lower level of the…
Second Portage Lake Bridge (2 of 3)
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Second Portage Lake Bridge (2 of 3)
This view of the second Portage Lake Bridge built in 1895 was taken from the Houghton side. This two-level bridge allows the train to use the lower level of the bridge to make its crossing. The upper deck is where autos and pedestrians cross along…
Second Portage Lake Bridge (3 of 3)
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Second Portage Lake Bridge (3 of 3)
Photo of the second bridge to connect Houghton and Hancock, Michigan. Photo looking south from Hancock to Houghton. The train tracks in the foreground show how the lower level of the bridge is used for train traffic while the upper level is used for…
Wreck of Portage Bridge (1 of 3)
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Wreck of Portage Bridge (1 of 3)
This steel swing bridge built in 1895 (the second bridge at this location) was wrecked when the steamer "Northern Wave" struck it. Electronic reproduction of photograph from The Bridges of Houghton County.
Wreck of Portage Bridge (2 of 3)
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Wreck of Portage Bridge (2 of 3)
Photo taken from the Hancock side. Shows wreckage of the turntable span which was struck by a steamer that was attempting to pass through. Note the two levels clearly visible in the left. Lower level is for railroad while the upper level is for…
Wreck of Portage Bridge (3 of 3)
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Wreck of Portage Bridge (3 of 3)
This view of the wreck taken from the Hancock side (west side of the bridge) shows the barges placed in the opening and railings installed for safe passage of pedestrians. This bridge is the only way to cross to the north side of Portage Lake.…