Chemin du Portage

The Chemin du Portage is a historic route located in Quebec, between the St. Lawrence River valley and Acadia. First used for portage by Native Americans, and later as a strategic road by French and British colonists, it was later upgraded into today's Quebec Route 185 and Quebec Autoroute 85, and forms part of the Trans-Canada Highway.

History

The shortest land route between Acadia and

, from which one could reach the Atlantic Ocean through a network of rivers.

After the conquest of New France by Great Britain, American independence posed a barrier to internal connections between the British possessions, calling for the construction of a route between Canada and the Atlantic provinces. In 1783, the British administration opened, between what is now

signed in 1842.

From 1856 to 1862, a new route was laid out starting from Rivière-du-Loup, helping it to become the principal city of the region. The old route was abandoned and later disappeared.