Nine Mile Portage and Willow Depot
Text from the plaque
Linking Upper Canada to British posts on the Great Lakes, this supply chain played a vital role during the War of 1812. In 1813, after the Americans seized control of Lake Erie, the Nine Mile Portage and Willow Depot allowed the British to supply their isolated garrison on Mackinac Island. Thanks to this route, the British and their Aboriginal allies maintained their position on the island, which was crucial to the control of the upper Great Lakes area and the territory west of Lake Michigan. After the war, the route was used for the transportation of furs and other supplies until being superseded by the railroad in the 1850s.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
Find the place
The County of Simcoe
The Township of Springwater
At the Fort Willow Conservation Area
at the western end of the road named Portage Trail
which is the western extension of Road 43
west of George Johnston Road, 4.1 km north of Road 40
Also recorded for this place: Festival at Fort Willow
N 44 23.708 W 79 49.290
Recorded September 2016. Check current access before visiting.
Visitors' notes
October 1, 2016
This marker was unveiled, installed, photographed, transcribed and submitted here on September 30, 2016. It is certainly rare, and may be the only time to date, that a plaque has been documented on this website within hours of its 'birth'. Thanks to Alan for posting it so soon. The unveiling ceremony took place a day before the annualFestival at Fort Willowwhich features an encampment. Nine Mile Portage and Willow Depot was designated a National Historic Event (not a Site, for some odd reason) on December 1, 2014. -Wayne