Portage La Prairie, city in southern Manitoba, Canada, on the Assiniboine River, near Lake Manitoba. Portage La Prairie is a distribution center for the surrounding agricultural area, in which grain, vegetables, and cattle are raised. Major manufactures include processed food, building materials, sporting goods, clothing, and machinery. Island Park and Crescent Lake are in the city, and the Long Plain Indian Reservation and Fort La Reine Pioneer Museum and Village are nearby. The settlement was originally established in 1851 near the site of Fort La Reine, a French fur-trading post built in 1738. Growth followed the coming of the railroad in 1880, and the city was incorporated in 1907. Today it is a transportation center for the region, located on two main rail lines and the Trans-Canada Highway. Population 13,198 (1986); 13,077 (1996).
